Goal : Arsenal forward Gervinho says that his family tried to stop him playing football as a youngster as they wanted him to focus on his education.
Gervinho came through the world renowned Jean-Marc Guillou academy in the Ivory Coast as a youngster, and the 24-year-old says that football was his only passion as a child.
“I don’t know what I would have done had I not become a footballer,” Gervinho told Arsenal’s official website.
“I’ve always wanted to do that, even when my family would try to stop me playing football so that I went to school.
“They wanted me to go to a normal school. They felt it was a bit risky as the academy was new and not really known. I had to bring someone who had faith in my skills to convince them.
“I started playing at my local estate club. I used to wake up every morning to go to play in the club. I loved it so much, it brought a lot of wonderful things in my life.