Staff Writer
Cheyna Matthews of Jamaica, a player in the women’s World Cup, breaks down in tears when she remembers one of her three little sons asking her, “Why are you always gone so long?”
However, several athletes at the competition in Australia and New Zealand found a way to alleviate similar worries about spending weeks away from their young children – they took them with them.
If Melanie Leupolz’s Germany team lives up to expectations at home by making it to the final in Sydney on August 20, the competition, which will span one month, will be attended by her infant son and a nanny.
It can be a long trip if you factor in the build-up and preparations.
While the team traveled to Melbourne, where they began their campaign with a 6-0 hammering of Morocco, Leupolz left the youngest member of the Germany squad with his nanny for two days at the team base north of Sydney.
It’s quite difficult. The 29-year-old Chelsea player reflected on juggling her playing career with motherhood in an interview with broadcaster DAZN. “It’s exhausting and takes up a lot of energy,” she remarked.
“I wanted to prove to women that they could do both. That was my motivation.
Matthews and her Jamaican teammate Konya Plummer can be seen giggling while watching videos of their kids in an interview that FIFA aired this week.
However, because they are apart, there are also tears.
According to Plummer, who has a young boy, “the reason I really push to play soccer is because I want my kid to know I am strong.”
No matter what, smile
Many World Cup players have discovered that it is beneficial to bring their kids along.
They include Frenchman Amel Majri and American attacker Alex Morgan.
Two-time World Cup champion Morgan, 34, gave birth to his daughter Charlie three years ago.
Although Morgan says she intends to see her daughter “almost every day,” the team has stringent regulations, and there will be a lot of traveling for matches in various places. The little child will also be with a nanny.
When asked if it was difficult between being a mother and her World Cup, Morgan responded, “It is challenging because every day I miss her so much.
But when she is here, I am aware that I am juggling my responsibilities as a soccer player and a mother.
“It is the life of a professional athlete with families,” she continued.
The presence of young children in the team camp, according to midfielder Majri, can help lighten the mood when anxiety levels are high or spirits are low.
In regards to having her one-year-old daughter Maryam on the team, the 30-year-old told AFP just prior to the World Cup, “A child is only joy and good humor within any group.”
“When I find my daughter, it gives me a huge energy boost,” said the athlete. “Sometimes we are not satisfied with training and we are a little tired.”
The German attacker Laura Freigang concurs that being surrounded by kids may be a welcome diversion from the demands of World Cup soccer.
“It’s just funny when you’re eating and a serious announcement is made, but then a toddler comes babbling along,” she remarked.
Leupolz is also aware that no matter the outcome, she will always have a welcoming face to return to, unlike some followers who can be cruel in defeat.
Sure, it’s quite stressful, but when you receive a smile when you get home, you realize why you’re doing it all, she added.
