Shaydon Johnson, 10, will lead a World Cup player on to the field. We chat to him about his own soccer dreams as part of our My City My World Cup profiles.
- Watch our video of Shaydon
In the corner of ten-year-old Shaydon Johnson’s bedroom is a soccer shrine.
It includes posters of his favourite soccer stars: Kaka, Ronaldino, Henry, Ronaldo and Rooney.
Johnson hopes to be as good as these players one day, so he keeps practising and playing — both for his school soccer team and his club, Sunward Park Tigers.
Johnson is one of the 1 200 South African children chosen to be part of the McDonald’s Player Escort Programme.
The programme provides an opportunity for children from across the world — aged six to 10 — to walk hand-in-hand with their football heroes onto the pitch before millions of people.
Johnson can’t wait for the moment.
He applied to be a soccer escort because he wanted “to feel how it will feel to walk on the field that I will play on one day”.
After Johnson saw a commercial calling for children to apply, he found the forms and filled them in himself.
Wearing a red and blue Barcelona soccer shirt in honour of Football Friday, Johnson told the Mail&Guardian that he didn’t know whose hand he would hold, but hoped it would be Kaka’s or Messi’s. We quizzed the soccer fan about his aspirations.
M&G: How did you find out you had been chosen to be a player escort?
SJ: They emailed my father and my father told me.
M&G: How did you feel when you found out?
SJ: I was very excited and happy because I always wanted to be a player escort.
M&G: How has life changed since?
SJ: I get a lot of emails and they phone my father a lot. I was also chosen as one of 50 people in Johannesburg to play soccer somewhere. It’s very exciting and you are very busy.
M&G: How many matches will you walk onto?
SJ: I walk onto just one match.
M&G: How do you feel about South Africa hosting the Soccer World Cup?
SJ: I am excited because it’s the first time South Africa gets to host the Soccer World Cup. When I grow up I want to be famous and play soccer on TV.
M&G: Which team would you like to play for one day?
SJ: Real Madrid
Mail& Guardian: Who is your favourite player and why?
Shaydon Johnson: Kaka because he plays very well and is a Real Madrid player.
M&G: What position do you play?
SJ: I play striker.
M&G: Have you won any awards?
SJ: I have won two medals at tournaments.
M&G: Are your friends jealous?
SJ: I don’t think my friends are jealous because when I told them they didn’t act jealous they were very happy for me.