Formed out of grief and a desire to give back to the community, the Troy and Baden Biddle Foundation sought to serve its first “entrée” in a hyperfocus on mental strength within student-athletes.
It did not take long for the foundation to pinpoint a man all too familiar with finding “strength within,” nor did it take long for the former Seattle Sounders prodigy winger to respond to the call.
“It’s been a very long time since I agreed to go and speak at an event,” Steve Zakuani said. “The moment I was told the theme for this event tonight, and I knew it involved young people, I said yes right away.”
“Steve’s story is compelling for a number of reasons,” foundation president Amanda Horn said. “His story spans his youth and into his professional career, and much of his work after his professional sports career is focused on helping youth, which is aligned with the foundation’s mission.”
The Sounders’ first draftee of the Major League Soccer era, taken with the No. 1 overall pick in the 2009 MLS SuperDraft, has worn many hats since his professional playing days ended in 2014. The author, broadcaster and brief high school coach found himself driven to return to inspirational speaking for Oct. 15 at Bainbridge High School.
One of Seattle’s most prominent soccer figures grew up in London. “I knew what I wanted to become in my life—that I had to play professional soccer,” Zakuani said. “That was my dream from age five, and I would watch these soccer players on the TV, and I’d go with my dad to the games on the weekend.”
Zakuani learned through his career that mental wellbeing can be a crippling blow to even the strongest players. Former Arsenal and France striker Thierry Henry, former Manchester United legend Wayne Rooney and England star Danny Rose have all gone public with their respective battles with depression and mental health.
Seeing his superheroes plagued by underlying mental challenges made Zakuani sick. “Watching them perform week in and week out—never would I have guessed that they went through what they went through.”
The news motivated him to not just bring his story to others but to dive into it himself to rediscover a timeline of sufferings, mental challenges, a lack of resources and even knowing that it was OK to feel the way he felt.
Horn said: “We all face challenges, even elite athletes, and there are people, resources and tools available to help you make your way. Steve’s inspiring journey through life is one example of overcoming adversity and rising above the challenges life presents.”
From the bike to a bus
Zakuani did not know much about Seattle when he was drafted but was fortunate to have a friend in the area to show him around. Cruising through downtown, he remembers his friend slamming the brakes on his car and screeching to a stop in the middle of the road. “No stoplight, no car in front of us, no traffic,” Zakuani said. “He frantically pointed out the window, and right there was a bus going by with a picture on it, and he said to me, ‘I wish I had my face on the side of a bus.’”
Six years earlier, Zakuani had nearly lost his chance to play soccer. Zakuani, who signed with the Arsenal youth academy at just 9 years old, boasted a prideful attitude that he’ll admit teetered on the side of ignorance. He left homework unfinished and mixed with the wrong types of influences before his choices came crashing down on him June 9, 2003.
“I had a genius idea, myself and four of my friends,” he said. “We decided it was a beautiful summer day, school just out, and we said we’re gonna go ride a motorcycle.”
“Just one more” ride on the stolen moped was all it took for the night to end in disaster for Zakuani, who lost control and slammed into a car. He described his right leg below the knee feeling like Jello, and the doctors who treated him told his father it would take their best just to get him walking again.
He was six months away from becoming eligible to sign his first pro contract. “How do you go from, ‘We are gonna do our best to have you walking again,’ to having your face on the side of a bus?” he asked. “I had nothing to live for. That was my mentality.”
He got there with the help of a teacher and mentor who began an after-school program targeted toward students he felt were most at risk of failing their final exams. The program went beyond the typical teachings of school but extended to life skills, how to be leaders and how to set goals.
“I would go every week,” Zakuani said. “When I messed up my knee on the bike and when everybody wrote me off, he’s the only person that stayed in touch with me. Every week, when I left high school, I went to visit him, and he changed my life.”
Zakuani transformed from a man who you could not pay to read a book into a regular bibliophile, from a reckless spirit to a disciplined believer and above all a man who wanted to play pro soccer again.
It took hard work on and off the pitch—his daily routine consisting of two hours of just looking up contact information of clubs he might play for. Only a few brought him into tryouts and club offices. Their answers were all the same: no.
Then the University of Akron came calling. Scouts who traveled to watch his friend Oscar play began to take notice of Zakuani, who had been called up among extra players who were brought on just to make up numbers. By the end of the showcase, he was offered a soccer scholarship on the spot. “I had never heard of Akron. I had never heard of Ohio. I had no idea what the NCAA was, and I said yes.”
Going on to lead the nation in scoring his sophomore year and finishing as a finalist for the prestigious Hermann Trophy, his collegiate success shot him to the top of the watchlist for American pro soccer clubs.
Unbreakable
Most fans that follow the Sounders know it was far from his last meeting with adversity. His third pro season, Zakuani felt at his peak going into an early season match against the Colorado Rapids. It would be his final match for 500 days.
“I got my first touch and started dribbling,” he said. “The guy comes in, and instantly, 15,000 people in the stadium (went silent). I landed on my back, and I saw my leg pointing in two directions.”
Three minutes in, and Zakuani was cut down by a harsh tackle that fractured his fibula and tibia. He underwent surgery that same day, with eight more surgeries to follow in quick succession at hospitals in Denver and Seattle. The same nerves damaged in his moped crash had been damaged again, and doctors feared that the break was so severe it could lead to amputation.
Left with the possibility his playing days might be gone for good, he returned to the teachings of his mentors. “I’m going to make it back. I’m going to have the feeling of scoring in front of all those fans again. They all seemed so far away.”
Yet with the encouragement of his family and players like the legendary David Beckham, Zakuani kept going. He started training, running and feeling good. On that 500th day, Zakuani returned to the pitch, this time in Seattle against the same team and same player who had caused his injury.
A combination of further medical problems and loss of skill would cut his career much shorter than once anticipated, but that took a backseat to the reality that after all the setbacks, he got to live out his dream. Now he aspires to see other young athletes take his story to heart, to overcome and survive adversity rather than avoid it.
“I know how tough it is to be a youth, especially in youth sports. Just keep going. You’re not alone, and every time you overcome, you have no idea who you are inspiring. Setbacks come. Get back up,” he said.
