Inspiring

Former non-league players Shaun Whiter and Joey Abbs were changing a tire when they were hit in a hit-and-run incident. Whiter lost both his legs and Abbs sufferes serious leg injuries.

The pair got help in their recovery effort from an unlikely source: the best player in the world, Lionel Messi.

Messi donated a signed shirt to be auctioned off when ambridge United host a Football Family Day on October 9.

Jeferson da Conceicao Goncalves, commonly known as Jefinho, helped Brazil to their fourth straight gold medal in football 5-a-side at the Paralympic Games. The man who’s drawn comparisons to Pele and Neymar is blind as a result of glaucoma, but his ability on the ball is simply breathtaking.

The fact that soccer is a way of life in many if not all countries in the world is no mystery. 

In some places, families bet their savings and livelihoods on the skills of a young Cristiano Ronaldo or Lionel Messi, hoping that their son will be the next big thing in the ever-changing environment that is the soccer world. 

Most of the time, these bets don’t pay off and many times, especially in countries where soccer is put ahead of school, they even backfire. Nevertheless, there are a few seeds that grow and eventually turn into amazing stories.

Supporters of ADO Den Haag, a Dutch club from the city of The Hague, travelled to Rotterdam on Sunday for their match against Feyenoord with the greatest of intentions. While blood was being spilt between rival sets of supporters this weekend at the Manchester and Old Firm derbies, ADO Den Haag fans showered the Feyenoord support seated beneath them with a steady supply of stuffed animals.

Carlos Ruiz played his final match for Guatemala on Tuesday night, the 36-year-old striker hitting St. Vincent and the Grenadines for five goals in Los Chapines 9-3 victory. Unfortunately for Ruiz and Guatemala, it still wasn't enough as they were eliminated from 2018 World Cup contention, resulting in Ruiz's international retirement.