Beautiful moment shows soccer player hugging teacher who convinced his dad to let him play sports

Editor's note: This article was originally published on August 24, 2023. It has since been updated.

Super Eagles striker Victor Osimhen visited a woman who had contributed to his dream of becoming a professional footballer. The touching video of their emotional meeting has people appreciating the footballer's sense of gratitude, reports Prime Business Africa. In the video, we see Osimhen entering his school campus and greeting a teacher with a warm smile. After exchanging a few words, they hug each other. 

When Osimhen was in secondary school, he wanted to play football, but his father did not allow him to play the sport as he thought it was a pastime for dropouts. Osimhen asked the Games Master of Oregun Senior High School, Ikeja, Lagos, Mrs. Augustina Atanda (née Okwechime), for some help. Atanda had played hockey for her Federal Government College, Warri, secondary school, and decided to help the teen. Later, she went and spoke to his father. She told Osimhen's father that she would personally mentor him and he agreed with some hesitation. Many years later, now, Manchester United, Chelsea, Bayern Munich, and PSG-linked player gave her a visit to thank her for her valuable contribution to starting his football career.

Osimhen has returned to Nigeria and is reflecting and posting about his journey back home. In another Twitter post, he wrote, "Returning to where my football dream and journey began in Olusosun gives me so many goosebumps. I am humbled and grateful for the roots that shaped my dreams. This is me once again appreciating their love and support and I will always cherish Olusosun and its people. Thank You!"

In another story about how teachers impact our lives in unforgettable ways, Mark Dent, who is an executive head teacher at the Cambrai Primary School in Catterick Village, shared a heartfelt message from his former pupil with the Twitter community and the post went viral with over one million views. The unnamed student tracked down Dent after two decades and thanked him for some wise words of advice the educator gave him several years ago and how it shaped the pupil's future.

"About 20 years ago you told me at a parent's evening I should do something in science as I clearly love it. I graduated in marine biology and just got a job offer today as a microbiologist technologist at GSK. You are the first person to find out as you’re the first person I thought of weirdly. It’s really stuck with me all those years and I’d just like to say thank you, you were right. Have a good day mate," the text message read.

"Today I was tracked down by an ex-pupil and received this message. The moment I read this, I burst with pride and emotion. This is what we do it for, fellow teachers," Dent wrote in the tweet as he shared a screenshot of the text. Truly, teachers touch our hearts and change our lives in the most profound ways and we cannot cherish them enough!