Listen to “Danny the Soccer Player” on Spreaker.
Danny the Soccer Player
Danny loved soccer more than anything. He would dribble a ball around the kitchen, kick pinecones into imaginary goals, and even named his socks “Goalie” and “Striker.” Every Saturday, he wore his lucky blue jersey and ran onto the field with the Sonic Boom, his local team.
But this Saturday was different.
Danny’s team had made it to the Championship Game, and they were going to face their biggest rivals: the Iron Tigers. The Tigers were fast, strong, and had never lost a game all season.
Coach Maria gathered the Sonic Boom before the game. “We may be the underdogs, but if we play as a team and give it our best, we can do anything.”
Danny felt his heart thump like a drum. He wasn’t the tallest or the fastest, but he had something special—he never gave up.
The whistle blew, and the game began. Right away, the Iron Tigers scored a goal.
“One to zero,” muttered Danny. “We’ll get it back!”
He passed, ran, and dodged as best as he could. The Sonic Boom worked together, and by halftime, the score was tied 2–2.
Coach Maria smiled. “This is the heart I was talking about!”
With only five minutes left in the game, the Tigers made another goal. Now it was 3–2. Danny’s legs were tired, and sweat dripped from his forehead, but he wasn’t going to quit.
Then, it happened.
His teammate David stole the ball and passed it to Danny. The crowd stood. Danny ran as fast as he could. One defender. Then another.
Only the goalie stood in his way.
Danny pulled his foot back… kicked… and watched the ball soar like a rocket.
GOAL!
The field erupted with cheers. The score was tied again.
Just as the final whistle blew, the game went into a penalty shootout.
Coach Maria chose Danny as one of the kickers. His heart pounded. He looked at the ball, then at the cheering crowd, then at the huge Iron Tiger goalie.
He took a deep breath. “I can do this,” he whispered.
Danny ran up and kicked.
The ball zoomed to the left—and into the net! The Sonic Boom team jumped up and cheered. After a few more kicks from each side, the Sonic Boom won the shootout and became the champions.
Later, Danny held the trophy with his teammates. He smiled so big his cheeks hurt.
It wasn’t just the winning that felt good. It was the teamwork, the effort, and knowing that he had done his very best.
From that day on, Danny wasn’t just a soccer player.
He was Danny the Champion.
The End!
Follow-Up Questions:
- What made Danny special, even though he wasn’t the fastest or tallest?
- How did Danny help his team in the big game?
- What do you think was more important to Danny—winning or trying his best?
