If I Say I Love You Jesus featuring Lucy Stimpson- Maynard from the album Precious recorded and produced by Ross Gill

I was watching a clip of the Manchester United midfield player Scott McTominay being interviewed by a woman I have to admit I had not heard of- Liv Cooke. At the end of the interview Liv lay on her back and started juggling a football with her feet. Scott was impressed and so was I – so much so that I googled her name and found out the following:
Liv was born on 20 April 1999 and is a British professional football freestyler, the current world champion and 4 x world record holder. She is also a Champions League Match Day Reporter, Entrepreneur, UEFA Women’s Football & Men’s Euro 2020 Ambassador and director of Africa Angels Charity.
Liv got into football at a young age having grown up with her two older brothers, Jack and Sam.
At the age of 10, Liv joined Preston North End F.C. whilst also playing in Woodlea Junior School’s football team. She went on to study at Balshaw’s Church of England High School, where she captained the girls’ football team, and signed for the Blackburn Rovers F.C. Centre of Excellence at the age of 14.
One year later, Liv was sidelined by a recurring back injury and discovered freestyle football videos online. She began to learn the basics in her back garden and stopped playing football in 2015 to focus on freestyle. In 2016, at the age of 17, Liv left Runshaw College early to pursue a career as a professional football freestyler.
In November 2016, Liv finished second in the 2016 World Football Freestyle Championships in Melbourne breaking her foot during the final.
In August 2017, Liv became the world’s number 1 football freestyler obtaining full points in every battle during the event in Prague on her way to the world title. Alongside competing, she has recently appeared in a number of TV commercials, hosted video series and regularly travels across the world to make appearances.
In December 2018, Liv broke four world records live in Barcelona. She currently holds these records.
Alongside her football freestyle career Liv has founded multiple businesses and worked for many charitable causes. In 2018 Liv became the director of Africa Angels, a charity that works to support education, equality, eliminate poverty and transform communities in Africa
As a result of Liv’s work, she has won a number of awards including Parliamentary Rising Star and Woman of the Future.
Not only are her skills simply amazing – please watch the video, or here is a link to a shorter clip – (although it is for an ad and I don’t think it is nearly as impressive as the today’s featured video) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5OMIgoSE-Z4
All the following may have become clichés – “one door closing and another opening”- “there is always a solution to every problem” -“ every problem is an opportunity in disguise.” Nevertheless Liv having to give up traditional football through injury and then choosing not to cry but to focus on another form of football is, I believe a wonderful example of what can be achieved in the face of adversity.

Quote for the week
I cried because I had no shoes until I met a man that had no feet