How I Started My Soccer Career
How I Started My Career Without Realizing It
Growing up, I wanted to be a pro soccer player, but I found myself in a career I never even imagined!
Sole Stall on Crossbar in Summerlin Las Vegas, Nevada - 2016
BY AGE 12…
I needed a ball at my feet almost at all times. By age 22, I wouldn’t go anywhere without one. I would say, in retrospect, that there were about 5 defining moments that have led to the life I live now which is full of happiness, ambition, and adventure!
MOMENT 1 - 2005 - Inception:
At age 14 while in junior high, I took a basic elective course called “careers”
A pretty run of the mill “what do you want to be when you grow up” class. We did worksheets with ladder images on them that represented goal setting and how to get to your dream job.
We’d go around the room, “what do you want to be… what do you want to be…?”
I, of course, wanted to be a professional soccer player. I was a little naive then, pretty big fish in a pretty small pond, although I was talented enough at a young enough age that I could’ve ‘made it’.
Not much from that course stuck with me except this one VHS tape our teacher put on… yes VHS tape, aka DVD but a large rectangle lol
The video ended up being a motivational speaker who traveled place to place speaking while showcasing his talent; juggling. Not the kind with a football, but circus juggling. He was amazing, and amazingly well spoken.
To paraphrase, he said ‘Do whatever you love to do most until you’re good enough at it to be successful.’
I’ve been looking back at that memory since 2015 and realize that’s exactly what I did. I’ve since then rephrased that quote when people ask me for career advice - “Do whatever you would do everyday for FREE, until you’re good enough at it to figure out how to make money doing it”
When you do something you love for free, it’s a passion or a hobby… when you make money doing it, it’s a career. BOOM
MOMENT 2 - 2006 - Inspiration:
Between 2005/2006 with YouTube launching and the men’s World Cup approaching I was truly inspired and hooked on freestyle and street football.
Touzani - this Dutch skiller posted what is likely the first ever football skill video on YouTube including his signature, Touzani around the world. Still get goosebumps watching it… I couldn’t find the actual 2005 original post, but here is the video reposted in 2007 and the story behind in below
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=drp2vnXgb1g
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mZZuaFBnsQM
Then of course, you have the Nike Joga Bonito ad campaign… Not much to explain here, just brilliant content and marketing capturing the best ballers in the world showcasing there unbelievable skills and talent
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Xbl6PL3dgmE&t=129s
I was truly inspired by all of these videos to develop my freestyle and street skills independently from regular game play. This I may say, is likely a defining moment for most of my age group in this field.
The same year, ‘Goal - The Dream Begins’ came out! …What a time to be alive!
MOMENT 3 - 2007 - Conception:
During my sophomore year of high school, I was messing around with a ball doing some tricks that I knew by then in the athletic training/medical room while some of my teammates and the girl’s team were getting ready for the matches that afternoon.
A sophomore on the girl’s team then randomly said “DJ, I would legit pay money just to watch you do those tricks”
I smiled, said thanks, went about my business and didn’t think too much about it. We lived in a small town and went to a ‘good’ school and there was a very strong status quo to go to college or get work after high school. My mind was set on playing soccer in college and studying architecture… Again, this was 2007… No TikTok, no instagram, no Red Bull Street Style!
Had this been 2010 or later a light bulb would’ve lit up instead of a shrug of the shoulders. Looking back, this was such a defining moment that I began referencing to myself to build my confidence in performing knowing that, even years ago, people wanted to watch me do what I do
MOMENT 4 - 2013 - Support:
My teammate in college kept telling me to make videos of my skills. Every time he would see me juggling or doing a move “yo man, I’m telling you, you got to start making videos of that!” Months went by and after a real conversation about it he convinced me.
https://www.facebook.com/danieldiveny/videos/vb.100001180787040/450287595020596/?type=3
The above video is both so powerful and embarrassing for me at the same time lol
I maybe wasn’t confident enough at the time to put myself out there without this support… I knew I wasn’t as good as guys like Palle and Tokura who had already progress freestyle so far by then, but after that first video I just put my head down and made more! I got a lot of good positive response and that gave me way more confidence. Ultimately, you can’t succeed if you don’t try. No matter what your fears may be, go out there and make! You never know where it might lead. Once I started making videos, I got better at my craft both on the ball and in production of the content. Flash forward 6 years and I now make a 6 figure salary because of the time spent developing my craft and learning social media.
MOMENT 5 - 2015 - Flying:
By 2015 I had been working for the New York Red Bull Street Team for about 6 months. In April, that Spring we were taken around the city for the week on a photoshoot to capture some skills in iconic places.
2015 photo shoot with New York Red Bulls - Photo by Greg Mionski
When I saw this image on Greg’s camera I had an actualization. I’ve done it. This is an image of me as a pro freestyler. I saw it and felt a sense of sheer achievement and newfound ambition at the same time.
To backtrack, I went to college for architecture then switched to applied astrophyics. I felt compelled to enter some high level field and to ‘high level’ work. After graduating, I was kind of lost as no real job opportunities had presented themselves even though I sought them out rigorously. After seeing this image, I realized, I can just be successful at this…
Later that summer, I founded my own company. I would at the time, spend about 45 hours per week physically working between freestyle performances and coaching, as well as about 40 hours per week produce content for my Instagram page. In just over 2 years of focusing on that routine I was able to leave the Red Bulls as well as youth coaching in pursuit of even bigger dreams.
Now, no matter where I go, whether it’s a peak in Glacier National Park or the center of London, I always have a ball with me so I can freestyle everywhere and never miss an opportunity to share my passion!