He plays goalkeeper out of necessity and dreams of scoring like Cristiano. 9-year-old Jane's life revolves around football and - sitting in a wheelchair - she wants to tell you something.
He met life in a wheelchair, as a rare disease, Spinal Muscular Atrophy (SMA) never allowed him to walk.
He, however, never allowed himself to not live exactly as he wanted: With a ball and his friends on a football field.
Jane Velkovski from Skopje claimed a place in… alana with his peers and although he does not have the opportunity to get that of his favorite Cristiano Ronaldo in the attack, he enjoys defending the home of his team.
A 9-year-old goalkeeper talks about football with adoration and wants to give the most important life lesson. In the magical realm of football we are all equal.
"When I play football I feel equal, I feel good, because I can participate in the game. I feel good that I can lead the team, I can win and be a leader. I'm happy when I win, I'm sad when I lose. Football is everything to me. I play video games, I play in our garden, I play at school. "I play football everywhere," he confessed on the UEFA website.
Like most of his peers, after all, what he wants is to play with his friends. Even if he has to face difficulties to achieve it, with the main effort being treated as an equal. Something he wants to "shout" about.
"I have a muscle disease, which means I can not walk. But I will not let anyone joke about this. I want to say to everyone that we are equal, that people with disabilities can do the same things as everyone else. But even when they can not, it does not mean that they do not enjoy their lives.
In all the difficulties, of course, the family environment plays its own role. People who never stopped 9-year-old Jane from pursuing what she loves, who never allowed his disability to exclude him from society and who never stopped hoping to see him one day stand up.
In 2015, Jane began treatment in Paris. Every six months he undergoes treatment again, with the hope that one day he will walk and - why not - score a goal. Like his favorite Cristiano.
"Football has a very positive effect on his life and on managing all the problems he faces. "Through football he was able to understand that he has the opportunity to play an active role in society," said his father.
Jane's story has made sense in FYROM. He became the face of the match in FYROM-Spain, when he accompanied the teams on the field before the cross. His contact with the grass, with great players, further increased his thirst for football.
Nevertheless, it was Cristiano Ronaldo who gave wings to his dreams, even though their only contact was through a poster.
"When the Super Cup took place in Skopje, we went to a room where there were posters on the walls. I had taken pictures with both teams, but then I saw a poster of Ronaldo celebrating after a goal. I thought I should copy him. I asked my grandfather to take a picture of me to copy the pose of Cristiano Ronaldo. It is a fantastic photo ", he said about this. Meeting.
"When I play football, sometimes I forget that I am sitting in a wheelchair. "I imagine myself scoring like Ronaldo and sometimes I almost forget that I can't walk," concludes the tiny kid, with his huge football dreams.
Edited by: Eva Zacharioudaki / Sport-fm