KITCHENER — Jakob Goj is working to make his dream of playing soccer professionally a reality.
The 18-year-old from Kitchener has signed with the U23 Salgueiros soccer team in the third division in Portgual.
“I’ve been working hard every single day and I’ve been changing into the person I want to become,” said Goj.
After connecting with his current coach and former pro player Kevin De Serpa, Goj’s dream kicked into high gear.
“He came to me about two years ago and he had a goal,” said De Serpa. “We did two years of very, very hard work under terrible circumstances as we all know with the pandemic, but we never stopped working.”
The two say that playing at an elite level in Europe requires a different mindset, which is something they’ve been focusing on with their training.
“It’s different soccer compared to Canada,” said Goj. “As long as you work and train every day, anything can be done.”
Two years ago, Goj travelled to Portugal to try out for a different team. While he didn’t make it that time, De Serpa says it gave him the experience to get to where he wants to be.
“It wasn’t just the technique in soccer, it was the mental park in making him prepared,” he said. “The under 23 team in Portugal is professional. It’s an actual professional system.”
The adventures overseas has kicked off this weekend for Goj.
“I’m very excited,” he said. “I’ve been trying to keep my cool for a couple of days, but when I was sleeping I would just wake up in excitement because it’s just like a dream starting.”
Goj will be with the U23 team in Portugal for the duration of their season and has hopes of resigning next year to continue his career.
