Help Alex get to Europe! gf.me/fcpf#gofundme
Photos by K2 Images
(Thanks to Kim McMillan for this story idea!)
It’s funny how dreams become reality. In an instant, moments become memories, and that translates into destiny. Some 17 years ago, Jose Roberto “Robert” Gonzalez and Karla Gonzalez were expecting their third child. “My wife let me feel how hard the baby was kicking inside her when she was pregnant,” said Robert, father and husband for more than 20 years. “We just laughed and just didn’t think about it any more. All we could think about was that we just wanted our son to be healthy.” As fate would have it, the person forming in his mother’s womb would be none other than Alexander “The Great” Gonzalez.
Alex, as his teammates and friends call him, has a passion for one sport only, soccer – and the world is now taking notice. The Huntsville High School junior, at the tender age of 17 and standing barely 5 feet 4 inches tall and weighing less than 120 pounds, plays the striker (or forward) position, whose primary objective is to score. Proving dynamite comes in small packages, Alex has an opportunity to become an international soccer superstar and possibility earn millions in the process.
“I’ve been playing with Alex for more than 12 years now,” said Trey Pervis, a goalie and teammate with the Huntsville Eclipse, a select soccer team. “First, I’m glad he’s on our team. But at times, he is almost impossible to defend. He is always moving; his footwork is so quick, you never know what direction he is going to score from. Just practicing against him makes us better, because we are not going to face anyone tougher in a game.”
How does one get to be an Alex Gonzalez? In the soccer world, it takes much more than just talent. “My mother tagged me on Facebook about this soccer combine that was being held in Conroe,” said Alex. “I went to check it out, and I just couldn’t believe it. At first, I thought the website and everything was some kind of scam.” What the family had stumbled upon was the site of an international soccer combine, set over a three-day period, searching for the best talent in the world ages 17-26. Unlike NFL combines, those who desire the glory of the soccer field must pay to be seen. “I remember asking my parents for the almost $400 just to play,” continued Alex. “That money seemed like it was on the moon.” Robert and Karla had a talk with their son. “We knew we could not stand in the way of his dreams,” Robert said. “So we just tightened our belts and were able to pay for his opportunity.”
“I was very worried about everything,” Alex said. “I just kept on praying that the coach would just put me in.” Then, in the last period locked in a scoreless tie with nothing to lose, he decided to shake things up a bit and put in “The Great.” Once in the game, the smallest player goes to work. Running…kicking…dodging…faking…passing…scoring—not once but twice—to win the game and the eyes of scouts from around the world.
“Our first thoughts were about him completing his high school education,” said Robert. “But they said they would provide a tutor for our son once he signs with one of the pro teams. Our next concern was he is only now 17 years old, and living in Europe is a long way.” “I know he is my son, but he really is a good child. He never gives anyone any trouble,” Karla said. We have worked hard to bring him up to fear the Lord and love God. I would like to go with him, just to set him up; then after that, my baby can live in Europe as a professional soccer player.”
The Gonzalez family has set up a “Go Fund Me” account at gf.me/fcpf#gofundme, trusting the community will come together to help one of its own. They are hoping to raise $6,000 for the cost of a roundtrip ticket for Alex and his mother over the coming summer just before the start of the 2016 International Soccer Season.
Knowing his dreams and a shot at fame and wealth are only a few months away, Alex is surprisingly calm and focused. “I’m just thinking about all the people along the way that have helped me,” recalls Alex. “My parents, my teammates, all my coaches and friends. Soccer is a wonderful sport, and this is a great area to be an athlete. I know we’ve had great ball players from this area before, with one of the most recent being NFL first-round draft pick of the Cleveland Browns Justin Gilbert. But soccer is on the rise. I hope to come back to Huntsville and really give back to a community that has given so much to me.”
For more information or to contact the Gonzalez family, call (936) 439-9891.