Femi Hollinger-Janzen, the college soccer player in the above video, is having a standout freshman campaign for Indiana.

Femi’s athleticism and technical ability are evident and as he picks up the IU system more completely, he is becoming an impact player in the Big Ten Conference for Todd Yeagley’s Hoosiers. He’s played substantial minutes at forward in every game this season and has

Femi Hollinger-Janzen

provided some extra spark for the team off the bench, while holding a lot of promise for even better things in the future.

The story of how he got to this point is even better.

As Femi explains in the video, he was born in the West African nation of Benin and suffered from a disability to his left leg that forced him to crawl around on all fours when playing soccer. He was adopted by his parents, Rod and Linda, who were Mennonite missionaries there, and the family returned to northern Indiana when Femi was just 6.

He explains that he essentially grew out of his disability, and from there, as the video indicates, things just kind of took off.

Along with the heartwarming story about Femi’s adoption and the way he developed physically into a high-level player, there is something to note about the way he credits his coaches at fairly anonymous club and high school programs. For all the advantages that some players get from high-profile, expensive clubs with top-level competition and decorated coaches, there are still some basic things about a player and a ball and teams, that a good coach can teach and cultivate within a committed player.

Everyone involved realizes Femi is not the finished article, but it’s hard not to pull for such a humble young man with such an inspiring story. 

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