It is safe to say that superheroes aren’t limited to the pages of comics or on the big screen. Most of the time, the best heroes are the ones who make an impact in our everyday lives, who inspire us with real experiences, stories, and examples of selflessness that we can relate to.
Ahead of Vancouver FC’s Marvel Superhero match on Friday, Sept. 6, we asked a few Eagles who their heroes are and this is what they had to say:
Matteo Campagna
“My heroes are my mom and dad, Tara and Luca, and my grandfather, Alan.
“The reason for that is they were always there for me and my brothers and every day, especially for the sports side of things, they helped us a lot, driving us to practices and games and always being there supporting all three of us. I think seeing them support all of us is a big thing because it is difficult to deal with three kids who are all in sports and soccer and different teams and different times and providing us with everything that we needed at any time.
“My grandpa too because he was close by so he helped us a lot with getting to training or anything that revolved around that.”
When asked what Campagna would say to his heroes, he replied, “Today, obviously my grandfather passed away, so I’d say to him, thank you for always being there [for me] and for my parents too because he’d helped up a lot around the house and with us. [He] played a big role in our lives and he still does. I still look up to him and think about him all the time and I think my whole family does so I’d say thank you to him.
“My parents, they are always there for me and I can always count on them so I always appreciate that, even at times that I don’t show it, I think they know that I appreciate them. They do so much for us and we’re forever grateful.”
Olivier Rommens
“I have two [heroes], I would say both of my parents, Ann and Johan. They were very important for me.
“They really told me every day that I could be what I wanted to be and that I could be great in whatever I’d want to do but that I’d just have to give my best every day. [They] let me believe in myself and I think that’s the most important thing that they did for me.”
When asked what Rommens would say to his heroes, he replied, “I would just say that I love them a lot and I’m really thankful that they are my parents. To this day they still inspire me and the advice that they give me helps in my life to become the man that I am.”
Ayman Sellouf
“My hero is my father, Omar.
“I looked up to him, he gave me good standards to hold on, he taught me my religion well which I appreciate. Just the standards that he holds himself to, it’s something that I try to hold myself to as well, always trying to get better every day and better every day and there’s always more that you can reach.”
When asked what Sellouf would say to his hero, he replied, “I would want to thank him, I’d want to thank him for everything he’s done for me like bringing me to trainings, following me around the Netherlands, the games that I played, and the support he gave me especially on the football side.
“Outside of football, it’s my mother as well, it’s not only the credit to my father but it’s both of them, but more on a football side, he always supported me and I always wanted me to be better.”
Elage Bah
“My hero I would say is my older brother, Mohamed.
“He’s always taking me to any soccer event or any soccer practices I had to go to. He also took me to some pretty big trials in my life including Montréal and Toronto FC.”
When asked what Bah would say to his hero, he replied, “I feel like I express it a lot to him but I would say thank you, just thank you for sacrificing and making sacrifices for me to grow as a player and grow as a human being. It’s really helped me in my development as both a human being and a soccer player so I’d want to say thank you.”
Kembo Kibato
“My heroes are my mom and my dad, Musonda and Martinho.
“Meeting them you’d quickly realize exactly why I’m the way I am. I’m proud of the man I have become and am today and I have to give them a lot of credit and thanks for that.”
When asked what Kibato would say to his heroes, he replied, “Thank you for working so hard and being the people you are. I’m grateful for all that I’ve learned from you two and I want to continue learning and growing to make myself and you two proud.”
We all have heroes in our lives who’ve helped to shape us into the people we are, including professional athletes who may even be heroes themselves in the eyes of aspiring young players.
As our players have shared, sometimes families can be the biggest heroes in our lives and VFC wants to celebrate them with a special Superhero Family Pack which includes two (2) adult tickets and three (3) youth tickets plus bottomless popcorn for $40. Use this link to access the special Superhero Family Pack and bring your heroes out to Vancouver’s Marvel Superhero Night on Friday, Sept. 6 when the Eagles take on York United FC at 7 p.m. PT. Additional tickets to that match can be purchased online here, starting at $25 for adults and only $10 for youth!
