The Value of Meeting Your Idols

Written by: Matthew Pinchak

For the majority of my life in Canada, soccer was nowhere nearly as popular as it is now. The spectacle of watching the greatest players in the world was reserved for family vacations to Europe, as the market in Canada was so small. However, in the last 4 years, rising stars like Alphonso Davies, Tajon Buchanan, and Jonathan David have made Canada a rising nation in the global football world. In light of that and in preparation for the 2025 Gold Cup, this summer, Canada Soccer hosted the inaugural Canadian Shield, a friendly tournament between Canada, New Zealand, Ivory Coast and Ukraine. This meant that for the first time I could remember in my lifetime, Canada would be playing against world-class opposition on home soil.

I am half Ukrainian and grew up in Etobicoke, a borough of Canada with an extremely concentrated Ukrainian population. I went to Ukrainian summer camp, a Ukrainian elementary school and played for a Ukrainian soccer team, all connections that lead to this game being hugely important to me. When tickets for the Ukraine vs Canada game went on sale, I immediately bought front row tickets for my father, my two brothers and my grandfather. This was a huge deal to me because my grandfather always told me stories about his childhood, and he has never been back to Ukraine since he immigrated to Canada. Therefore, I knew that this would be his first time seeing the Ukrainian National Team play live, which is something he’s always wanted but would never ask for.

Meet and Greet with the National Team

Along with my connection to the Ukrainian community came opportunities that a few years ago I could only dream of. The Ukrainian National Federation(UNF), the body that ran my summer camp, invited members to a meet and greet with players from the national team. This was an opportunity for people of all ages in the Ukrainian community to attend, ask questions and take pictures with the players. It was heartwarming to watch them interact with the young fans and be so genuinely interested in the questions people had. I attended the event and brought my brother, uncle, and grandpa to the meet and greet. Judging from the photo below, it’s safe to say my grandfather was starstruck.

Listening to a Legend: Andriy Shevchenko

The following day, UNF held a press conference with Ukrainian Football Association President and legend, Andriy Shevchenko. Being one of the greatest players of all time, on top of one of my childhood idols, I made it a priority to be at the event. When he arrived, the room was electric, and I, along with many others, listened to him talk about the future of Ukrainian football and what this tournament meant for the national team. I was honoured to see and listen to someone I had watched and idolized growing up, and was even lucky enough to get my jersey signed by him, making this moment last forever.

Meeting One of My Idols

My dream week only got better when I got home, my dad told me that my boyhood soccer club had been invited to watch a Ukraine practice at BMO Field. When I arrived at the stadium, the feeling was surreal. I was sitting front row and got to watch players I had only seen on TV, less than 50 feet from me, practicing. After the practice, the players came around to sign jerseys, where I got to take a picture with Oleksandr Zinchenko from Arsenal, my favourite team. This meant a lot to me because I’ve followed Zinchenko’s career from a young player in Ukraine to a major transfer to Manchester City. I still remember how proud I was when he signed for Arsenal to have someone from my country playing for my favourite team. A week later, I cannot believe that I got to witness and experience such an amazing moment of being that up close with someone I watched, idolized and cheered for week in and week out for years.

Game Time

Finally, the culmination of all of this was the Canada vs Ukraine game on Saturday. As my family and I got on the train, I could feel the pride of Ukrainian-Canadians all the way to the stadium. I was proud, not only of the pride of the Ukrainians around me, but proud of what I had accomplished this week with my family. I gave my brothers, dad, and grandfather an experience that they never could have predicted would happen. I like to think that I played a part in giving my grandfather the childhood dream that seemed to be getting more improbable day by day. The game ended in a 4-2 loss for Ukraine, which wasn’t the result we wanted; however, the atmosphere and experience throughout the games is something I think none of my family will forget.

Reflecting on the Experience

Research from San Francisco State University suggests that "Buying Experiences, Not Possessions, Leads To Greater Happiness.". And this past week, I’ve found so much truth in those findings. No amount of tangible goods could ever give me the euphoria I felt meeting my heroes. There is a common saying to “never meet your heroes”, suggesting that once you meet them, you will wish you never had. I’m lucky and proud to say that I cannot relate to that saying at all. Meeting these players embraced a part of myself that I really didn’t know I had in me. I felt like a child again, filled with excitement and joy, experiencing each and every event I attended. I was especially moved by the open practice with the players from my youth club. The players of my club ranged from 6 years old to over 21, and seeing the joy on those young players' faces meeting the pros made me think about the motivation this can provide. As I mentioned before, soccer was not as big in Canada while I was growing up, but as time has progressed, the sport has grown to a level where these children are presented with opportunities to meet their idols and become filled with inspiration to achieve the same heights. This experience is one that they will reflect on for years to come, fueling their passion for the game. So, to those who will continue to say “never meet your heroes”, I’d say you haven’t met the right ones yet

San Francisco State University. "Buying Experiences, Not Possessions, Leads To Greater Happiness." ScienceDaily. ScienceDaily, 17 February 2009. <www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/02/090207150518.htm>.