Source: REUTERS/Hannah McKay
[Saba Sports News] Recently, Arsenal goalkeeper Norberto Murara Neto revealed in a media interview that he was once dropped by a team for being too short when he was young and almost did not become a professional player. Neto said: “When I was about 12 years old, I had to leave my first team because I never got a chance to play. After that, I went to Parana Clube, where they did a bone test on me to see how tall I could grow in the future. Fortunately, during that time, my coach gave me more time to grow; usually, they want a tall goalkeeper. I remember after the bone test, they said my body was like that of an 8-year-old child; I was developing slower than other kids. But by the time I was 16 or 17, I felt my body and abilities were changing, and I thought to myself, ‘I can make something of myself.’ In one year, I grew 17 centimeters; it was incredible!” So sometimes luck is needed; Neto was lucky because he had a team that understood and helped him. If the club had not been willing to wait for him to grow, he might be doing another job now.