Petra of Croatia — The Girl Who Plays Until the Sun Goes Down

Petra of Croatia — The Girl Who Plays Until the Sun Goes Down

Age: 10
Country: Croatia

Petra has been told approximately six thousand times that dinner is ready.

This is almost certainly an exaggeration.

Petra's mother says it only feels that way.

At ten, Petra measures afternoons differently from everyone else.

Adults use clocks.

Petra uses goals.

One more.

One more shot.

One more pass.

One more chance to get the ball past her brother, who insists he was “barely even trying” whenever she scores.

Petra has noticed that he says this mostly after she scores.

She loves football because everything else disappears when she's playing.

There is only the ball.

The next move.

The sound of somebody yelling her name.

And that glorious split second when the ball leaves her foot and she knows—before anyone else does—that it's going in.

Petra wants to be better.

Not just at scoring.

She practices passing with both feet. She watches how players move when they don't have the ball. She has learned that sometimes the smartest thing you can do is give someone else the perfect chance to score.

That part surprised her.

Petra used to think being the best player meant doing the most.

Now she thinks it might mean noticing the most.

Someday, Petra dreams of pulling on Croatia's jersey and walking onto a field with thousands of people watching.

She imagines hearing the crowd.

Finding her teammates.

Waiting for the whistle.

And then?

She'll play.

For now, there is a ball rolling toward her, sunlight through the goal net, and somebody calling from the house that dinner is getting cold.

Petra heard them.

Probably.

Her dream: To play football for Croatia and become the kind of teammate who makes everyone around her better.

Her wonder: “What does it feel like to score a goal while your whole country is cheering?”

*****

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