From 'English Neymar' to 'Grenfell's guerilla gardener'

They will be used to reading 'the new' daily, followed by a prominent name. How many broken toys does football leave? The comparisons are hideous and most young talents fall by the wayside. Sometimes they are not well advised; others, their performance simply does not evolve over the years; others prefer to go out in search of minutes and end up being exceeded by expectations. There are a thousand and one stories to tell of those who dreamed high and stayed on the road. But Tayshan Hayden-Smith's is especially striking.. The BBC He has interviewed the one who was once called the 'English Neymar' and who is now better known as 'Grenfell's guerrilla gardener'. In his vital book, the footballer has gone through everything and shows with his testimony that sport is not more than the most important of the least important. First he left football for the birth of his son. Later, suffered serious racist insults in Austria, lost his mother and returned home to help the neighborhood after the Grenfell Tower fire. Part by part. Despite his humble origins, he was a first-class talent.

In his teens, he auditioned for big clubs in England such as Crystal Palace, Fulham, Newcastle or Watford. It always found obstacles, due to its size. At the age of three, he was already enjoying his great passion in the fields of Westway, West London. He defined himself as someone who could not separate himself from the ball. Great stars are born in the street. Hayden-Smith was flirting with the ball on the sidelines when all fields were reserved. The street school gave him space and hope: “I grew up playing soccer. It was my way of expressing myself and finding myself.”

Kevin Green, a futsal player from England who also held a position at Chelsea, was the first to call him the 'English Neymar'. It was part of his nature, the fast game, the dribbling, the touch … His mentor placed him on the left side so that he would have spaces to express his ideas with the ball. At age 13, he left the mud to join academies of the highest level. He spent seven months in Fulham, always on probation. He acknowledges the protagonist who was told that he was outstanding in social, tactical, technical and psychological skills. Even in physics, although his appearance played tricks on him.

The height was his obstacle

“They always told me that I was too low“he explains on the BBC.” It didn't matter where I went, I always had to fill out forms and they asked me about my parents' height. The UK is far behind in physicist philosophy. Spain, for example, is not. “However, Hayden-Smith did not throw in the towel, as he was confident that his ability would compensate for his height limitations. He defines himself as an aggressive footballer with great defensive capabilities. He always made an effort extra to deal with setbacks along the way.

It didn't seem like enough: “It was always something like 'we love you as a player, we think you're great, but not now.' Finally, Brentford gave him the opportunity he dreamed of. That's when he remembered where he came from, from a street football, which was happiness for a family that grew up with limited resources. His mother was a single mother with four children and they lived in a state house. To make matters worse, at the footballer's 13 years, his mother was diagnosed with cancer and, some time later, became seriously ill. He passed away when Tayshan was 23 years old.

His son changed his life

While the best news did not arrive at home, Hayden-Smith was still struggling to make his dream of playing soccer come true. He went through numerous academies and some of them were imbued with his talent and commitment. When his representative called him announcing that his life was going to take a 180 degree turn, something turned everything upside down. At the age of 17, before receiving his first professional contract, he learned that he was going to be a father. Perhaps it would have been easier to deal with parenthood with a large annual salary. But the young footballer was clear about the path he should take.

“It was very unexpected and I had to adapt my life. My father was never present with me and that showed me what not to do. So there was no doubt in my head: I would be there for my son “, he tells the BBC. When he wanted to return to his great passion, time had passed for him. He had lost his ability and he did not forget the bad experiences he had lived. in some quarries. He signed for FC Kitzbuhel, of the Austrian fourth division. What was a new opportunity to enjoy, soon turned into another nightmare.

Despite sporting successes, winning the championship, he suffered racist episodes that did not allow him to regain happiness. According to his testimony, the owner of the apartment in which he lived entered the house in the middle of the night and without hesitation intoned racist insults against him. The matter reached greater: “There was a period of time when I slept in the car while moving to another house because the landlord kicked me out for no reason. I didn't even say anything at the club, I didn't want to cause any problems. “

The Grenfell fire

As already stated above, Hayden-Smith grew up in West London, playing as best he could on the streets and out-side fields.. It grew up next to the Grenfell Tower, a 24-story residential tower that was abandoned today and suffered a severe fire in 2017. He played on a small field that was shaded by the building and dreamed that some Chelsea scout would look at him from there.

On the day of the fire, the player took an express flight to be in his neighborhood and with his people. That incident was of enormous importance and continues to be investigated today. Hayden-Smith decided to go home, leave Austria, and be with her loved ones. Then something changed in his head and football took a back seat. “I started asking myself questions like 'who am I?', What am I defending?'”, thus recalls his change of life.

“I remember being so angry at the system, the injustice, and the neglect after seeing people from different cultures, diverse communities, and immigrants being treated as second-class citizens … We experience the loss of a community en masse. Some people lost children, others lost parents. Entire families were wiped out. I was trying to figure out how to help and found gardening therapy. It was spontaneous and impulsive. “

Grenfell's Guerrilla Gardener

This is how it is known today. A total transformation of which they even pointed out that he could be the new Neymar. He began collecting plants from local nurseries and created a community garden with them, with the help of people from the neighborhood. “We made a massive statement. We didn't need to live off authority to organize ourselves as a community. We are creating our own models and systems. Sometimes I wondered what he was doing there, if he was usually in the green of the field and not in a garden. “Despite his doubts, he continues with the project and has announced that in the coming months they will make a garden in honor of the Mangroves Nine.

A new life, at the service of the community and with the goal of making those who have less happy. But without forgetting your dreams. Hayden-Smith continues to play soccer. After nearly three years with the Rising Ballers, he moved to Grenfell Athletic in December., a modest club in London. Hayden-Smith will not have been the new Neymar, but he will also leave a legacy. A path full of obstacles has led him to overturn with ordinary people. That is also a victory. And of those that are worth much more than three points.