This past weekend professional player Niko Gkionis, pictured above and guest blogger for us, scored his first pro GOAL! He wrote a guest blog about it on Tuesday. That is a pretty cool feeling and I was glad he could share it with us!
But he isn’t the only one having firsts happening. The picture of him above sporting a Jared Montz Soccer “Believe in it” beanie is the first JMS gear sighting caught by a professional photographer at a pro training ground!! He plays in Belgium. I was so pumped when he sent it to me! I wonder if Nike or Adidas felt this way when a pro player was wearing their gear for the first time…
In the picture he is talking to his equipment manager. I am not sure of the guy’s name but lets say it is Waffle. This is how I imagine the dialogue going between them in the pic.
Waffle says, “Butttt….”
Niko says, “Listen you need to give all the players JMS “Believe in it” beanies and we will stay warm and be more confident on the pitch”
Waffle says, “Buttttt….”
Niko says, “Just trust me, I am wearing mine and will score my 1st goal in our next match!”
Waffle says, “Buttttt….”
Nike says, “Come on Waffle, you gotta “Believe in it”!”
image via RFCL (Check out the guy behind the fence going crazy! So cool!)
Nicholas “Niko” Gkionis is a friend of mine, a special guest Online Soccer Academy player, and has guest blogged and appeared for JMSocccer10.com a few times. Hopefully soon he will become a regular contributor to our blog. Today he talks about making his 1st team start and 1st GOAL with his professional club in Belgium Royal Football Club de Liege. You can follow his season in real time on Twitter. Check back throughout the day because hopefully we will update this post with video of his goal and what looks to be a great celebration! As it should be!
Hello everyone!
I hope everyone is doing well and training hard. I know where I am from in New Jersey this is the most difficult time of year to train because it gets very cold outside but if you’re from Louisiana (lucky for you Jared) I bet you don’t have that problem.
This past weekend for me was one of the more memorable ones of my career so far because I started my first match for my new club and I scored my first goal for the club. It was an incredible feeling to score and go celebrate with the fans. It is a feeling I want to repeat many more times. Anyway, I wanted to give you guys an incite on the build up to my first start including my emotions and feelings.
The past few weeks had been difficult for me because I had not been playing as much and sometimes when you’re not playing you get down on yourself. However, I have realized over the years that eventually your chance will come and so I have just been making sure I would be ready for it. This past week I had a good feeling I would be involved in the match and the coach confirmed it when he pulled me aside after training and told me I would start the match the upcoming weekend. Of course at that moment a lot of emotions rushed through me. I was excited but also nervous because this was my chance to prove myself. I think being nervous is normal and to be honest I am nervous before every game whether it be a reserve game, friendly, or first team match. I have played soccer for many years against many teams and I think Jared would agree that no matter what level you play at the players still get nervous.
Anyway, I prepared like I always do before the match and when game time finally arrived it was a relief because I didn’t really think about it anymore and I just played. The match started off very well for me because within the first five minutes I got into the box and scored! It was a crazy feeling and to be honest I don’t really remember it much now. We were playing away so I just went to our fans who had traveled to the game and we just celebrated!
I played the full match but in the end we lost 2-1. It was very upsetting because we had the early lead and started off the match very well. Nevertheless, I always try to take the positives out of the game so I was happy I was able to help the team and score a goal. The most important thing though is for the team to win so hopefully next week we can convert our play into a victory.
You put in all those hours of training and hard work for your one chance to impress and hopefully I can continue to help the team and show my qualities. I was so pumped after the match that I emailed Jared and I called him Justin! However, I need to forget last week because it is in the past and focus on the next match.
Anyway, I just wanted to share that with everyone who reads Jared’s blog and my younger Online Soccer Academy teammates that if you train hard things will fall into place for you. Whatever level you are playing just remember to be patient when things aren’t going your way. Stay motivated and make sure when your chance does come, you take it.
Thanks everyone! I hope to speak with you guys again soon.
Nicholas ‘Niko’ Gkionis, a New Jersey born player, is chasing his dream of playing professional soccer for a living in Europe. A yank abroad, he isn’t in the Premier League, La Liga, or Italian Serie A. After trials in England didn’t work out he signed with a second division team in Cyprus called MEAP Nisou and is now currently with Belgium 4th division side Royal Racing Football Club Montegnee.
Niko and I met via an email he sent me a week or so ago giving me props on my blog/website (thanks by the way!) and talking about maybe doing a camp together one day. I was curious to know how a person in Belgium got a hold of my blog and it turns out his girlfriend is from my hometown and coached at my soccer camp in Louisiana three years ago. Pretty random, but soccer is a small world.
A few emails and a Skype call later I was impressed with Niko’s story. He left his family, friends, and girlfriend stateside to go after his dreams. During trials in England the World News quoted him as saying, “It was an easy decision for me to make to go on trial in England, because anyone who knows soccer knows that England is soccer-obsessed, it would be a dream to make an English club and so I figured to go for it.”
The odds were stacked against him to sign pro. He wasn’t a big time Division 1 soccer player with scouts and agents knocking on his door. What he had though was confidence, ability, self-belief, and a European passport. He is a person that believes in it and he is going for it!
JM – Were you nervous to go on trials in England?
Niko – I was definitely a little nervous but also excited at the same time. England is a place where they are crazy about soccer and obviously its one of the hardest places to play. I was also excited because I couldn’t wait to get into the first training session to see how I match up with the other players and prove my quality. I think its the same feeling that everyone gets if your going to try out for any team but just on a bigger scale.
JM – When it didn’t work out in England did you get discouraged? Do you plan to go back one day?
Niko – To be honest I wasn’t discouraged because there was no doubt in my mind after the experience that I can play at that level. I did have some disappointment when I was with Accrington Stanley because that was the club I felt like I had a really good chance of making. I played the full 90 in a friendly for them, did well and scored a goal. I thought my experience would turn out like that soccer movie Goal (maybe link this up), but it didn’t turn out that way. I definitely plan to go back and hopefully I can do that this summer.
JM – How old were you when you decided that you wanted to become a professional soccer player?
As a kid I always dreamed of becoming a professional player, but I was 17 when I actually believed it could become a reality. I went to Cyprus in the summer before my freshman year in college and I trained with the reserves of this first division club out there. I did well and that is when I realized that I could do something with soccer.
Niko – To be honest, the coach at Stevens was one of the few that actually recruited me. A lot of people don’t know this about me but I didn’t play varsity soccer until I was a junior in high school so I wasn’t on many coaches radars. It was funny because my brother was going to Drexel University in Philadelphia which is Division 1 at the time and I remember I went and met the coach there but he said he wouldn’t offer me a spot on the team just a tryout. I don’t know why but that hurt me and I started crying in the office! There isn’t better motivation then someone telling you your not good enough. In the end it worked out for me at Stevens and I take pride in the fact that I went to a D3 school.
JM – Why didn’t you try to go pro in America?
Niko – I always knew I wanted to go to Europe and play. I wanted to shoot for the top and the top leagues are in Europe.
JM – When you didn’t make the teams in England did you think your dream was over?
Niko – I didn’t think the dream was over I was just looking for my next move. I only got a one-way ticket to England so I wasn’t planning on leaving. My contact in England got me in touch with this club in Belgium where I could keep fit and hopefully make my way back to the UK so I took the opportunity.
JM – You ended up signing for a team in Cyprus. How did it feel to put pen to paper and officially be able to call yourself a pro soccer player?
Niko – It felt really good. I would of felt better if it was a multi-million dollar deal but the contract I signed was good enough. All joking aside, I was happy to sign the contract but I try not to be content with anything. I couldn’t just say “Hey I signed a contract, the work is finished.”
**Check out this two-minute skills video Niko put out on youtube before his decision to sign with the team in Cyprus. Pretty sweet! (make sure you watch until the end; even pros mess up!!)
JM – You are currently on a team in Belgium that is known as kind of a hold over place before players move on to another team. What are your plans moving on from here?
Niko – I am talking to a bunch of people about possible moves and stuff like that, but what will happen will happen. The fun part about it all is that you never know where your going to end up. If you told me in high school I would have went to all these places in Europe for soccer I would have thought you were nuts.
JM – What is your advice for young players that are trying to reach their dreams of becoming professional soccer players?
Niko – Anything can happen. With that being said, young players need to realize that making it in the world of soccer does not happen overnight. It takes a little talent, a little luck and a ton of hard work. While I was in England I got the opportunity to play a friendly against Bolton Wanderers of the English Premier League. As recently as 2 years earlier I was lining up against Division 3 teams in friendlies and now I was there playing against Bolton. So believe me, anything can happen.
Great interview Niko and thanks for taking the time to share your story with my readers and Online Soccer Academy players. You are a person that believes in it and we look forward to seeing you reach your dreams in the years to come. Just don’t forget about us when your in the EPL and I call you up for an interview! Niko keeps a blog on his college website called Beyond the Pond so be sure and check in on him from time to time.
What do you think of Niko’s story? Are you pumped for him to go after his dreams? Want to wish him good luck? Feel free to share your comments and best wishes below in the comments section.
