From walking barefoot to dreaming about the LNFS: the Afghan star whose life could have been changed by an attack
Farzad Mahmoudi’s story is as authentic as it is unique. At 24 years old he debuts in the Futsal World Cup as the star of the Afghanistan National Teambut his path to reach Uzbekistan has not exactly been rosy.
The moment that could change your life
At only 19 years old, and after becoming runner-up in the Asian Under 20 Futsal Championship, The headquarters of the Afghanistan Football Federation suffered an attack. Several members of the team, Farzad among them were among the victimsalthough none were seriously injured.
The pavilion and the facilities where this young man lived did suffer significant damage.. The war was progressing and there was no time to rebuild what was then Farzad’s ‘home’. The solution they found was to rent an apartment to sleep indoors, although they had to do so on the floor because they did not have enough beds.
A star forged in the harshness of Afghanistan
But his story of improvement started much earlier, when he was a child. The situation in Afghanistan was very difficult and Farzad himself suffered from it daily.. The Mahmoudi family had hardly any resources and the little boy walked barefoot daily for several kilometers until he reached the pavilion where his legend began to be forged.
Plus his parents didn’t trust him. They believed that futsal would not give him a prosperous future and they never supported him. But Farzad’s love for futsal was so great that he made him ‘face’ them to achieve a dream. Now his father and mother are proud of everything their son has achieved, even if he had to disobey them to do so.
A player and a self-made man, who He fought throughout his life to become a professional futsal player. and with a lot of effort he achieved it. He overcame the lack of resources, walked barefoot daily to train, confronted his parents in search of an opportunity and even survived an attack.
The Afghan World Cup star
Now Farzad combines the Iranian Futsal Premier League with that of Afghanistanwhere he plays much of the year. His left foot is a delight and he comes to this World Cup as the great hope of his national team, especially in the scoring aspect.
His incredible story does not end here. Mahmoudi not ‘only’ managed to overcome all the obstacles he encountered in his life to become a professional player, now also He owns a team in the Afghan futsal league. With this project he collaborates with his country and boosts the lives of many of his compatriots, through a sport that has given him everything.
Although Farzad still has a dream to fulfill: playing in the First Futsal Division in Spain. At 24 years old, he wants to one day share a team with his idols and given what we have seen, it is not unreasonable to think that he could achieve it.
