Samoa’s star player, Lima Sopoago, continues to look for his beloved kicking tee. The story behind the t-shirt is one that can be heartfelt by most. We all have something from our childhood that we still cherish with all our hearts, whether it be a soft toy, blanket, or, in this case, a goal-kicking tee.
The 32-year-old player has owned the goal-kicking tee for 18 years. The player has had the thing with him all the way from his college time to the All Blacks. He even carried the tee with him to clubs in Europe. This tee has been a constant companion for Sopoaga.
Sopoaga last brought the tshirt to the stadium while playing in Bordeaux. Samoa earned a win over Chile with a 43-10 score, but the player was left feeling empty as his childhood tee was nowhere to be found.
Sopoago’s request for return
The player posted an appeal on his social media on 16 September, requesting whoever took his goal-kicking tee from the field to give it back to him. The player is even willing to pay for it as it has been his treasure since he was 14 years old.
The post received some great responses, with a total of 984 reposts, 4,874 likes, and more than 973,500 views on the platform at the time of writing. The fans are empathizing with the player’s loss, but all efforts to find the tee so far have been in vain. The player has, unfortunately, still not reunited with his prized possession.
Sopoaga had stopped for a talk during the team’s clash with Argentina. When asked about his prized possession, the player stated that he still hasn’t got it back.
The player emphasized his experience so far, saying that a few nice people have reached out and offered him their kicking tees, which are kind of the same. His friend in the UK, Alex, had sent him one which is used and the same as his.
Sopoaga further continued that he had the tee since he was 14. As a little 14-year-old kid, he just had to find what was out there, and at the time, it was that, and it stuck with the player ever since. The tee even has black tape around it, which shows that it has been through the wars. The tee has traveled around the world with him, and the player sees it like a baby or a “little doudou”
The player compared the tee with his rugby boots as he said that he would rather forget his rugby boots than his goal-kicking tee. But with the search not going anywhere, the player is now trying to accept fate as it is and trying to get over it.
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