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Weston McKennie caused a stir for the United States men’s national team official twitter account shared a picture of him with a brand new and colorful ‘do. That 24-year-old midfielder dyed the bleached tress, which he has had in his hair for some time ahead of USA 2022’s first World Cup match against Wales on Monday 21 November, red, white and blue to show his pride for his home country. Earlier, speaking at a press conference, he sported his former hairstyle and said it was him “ready” to play a serious ball. Of course, Weston McKennie has a lot more to offer than his ever-changing hair. Read on to learn five things about the talented soccer pro.
Weston grew up with a brother and a competitive edge
Weston is the younger brother of John McKennie jr, which helped develop its competitive advantage. “Given that my brother was older than me, I always had to compete because I hated to lose,” said the football pro The 18th, a football news site. “Obviously I’ve lost to him more times than I’ve won, but the times I’ve won it’s just been ‘Oh my god, that feeling is amazing’, so I’ve always wanted to win.”
Giving more insight into his competitive edge, his father, John McKennie Sr., recalled to the outlet that as a kid, Weston wouldn’t give up anything until he achieved his goal or won. “For lack of a better term, he was just irritated that someone would tell him he couldn’t do something and he’d try to prove them wrong, like, ‘Oh, I definitely can do that.’ He would just work at it over and over again until he could do the trick or the drill,” he said.
Weston plays professionally for Italy but started in Germany
Despite being from America, Weston has been playing for Italy’s elite football club Juventus since 2021. He also grew up playing football in Germany and ended up on his first professional team in the European country.
Weston was born in Fort Lewis, Washington, to John McKennie Sr., a US Air Force member whose job took him and his family around the world to do his duty The 18th. At the age of 5, Weston moved to Germany with his family, where he was introduced to football by a school friend. His family quickly recognized that he had a natural talent for the sport. “I knew he was good and what he was capable of because when he was 6 years old he played in Germany with 14-year-olds,” says his mother. Tina McKenniesaid the outlet.
Weston was tutored by a young but eager trainer for the next three years before returning to America. Back in America – this time in Texas – he trained relentlessly, moving from trainer to trainer to perfect his craft. When he was in high school, he had an offer to play pro at FC Dallas and a full scholarship to the University of Virginia. While originally destined to go to Virginia to further his education, Weston’s world changed when he received an offer from Germany’s professional club FC Schalke 04. He knew immediately that this was his next step.
“Schalke came into play and it was my dream. I’ve always said if I play professional I want to go back to Germany and I wouldn’t be very picky if I got an offer anywhere in Europe I would have gone but I really wanted to go back to Germany because it was for me what a second home was like. I was familiar,” he explained The 18th. “The offer came up with Schalke and when that happened, I was sure. I was like, ‘Yo, I’m going.’”
Weston broke his foot in 2022
Weston’s football career has not been entirely flawless – he suffered a foot injury in early 2022. The Washington native broke his foot again in February playing for Spain’s Villarreal in the UEFA Champions League. The injury should sideline him for two months and prevent him from qualifying for the 2022 World Cup, they say CBS sports. Obviously, his foot injury wasn’t holding him back.
Weston has a dumb side
Weston has made his sense of humor known on and off the field. For example, at a press conference in September 2022, he slipped closer to his teammate. Tyler Adams. He knew he was being funny and had a mischievous look on his face. Despite his best efforts, his merry dealings didn’t impress Tyler.
Weston McKennie just wanted to sit a little closer to Tyler Adams 😂🤣
(🎥: @USMNT, @ussoccer) pic.twitter.com/GlToiqj9ZS
– USMNT Only (@usmntonly) 09/22/2022
Then, during the US men’s opener game for the 2022 World Cup, he went viral after wiping his sweaty hands on a cameraman’s jacket during the game. While it doesn’t seem like Weston meant to be funny, he certainly made viewers laugh online.
Weston McKennie just wiped his hands on his photographer’s vest 🤣🤣@USMNT pic.twitter.com/VECBtkaiI9
— FOX Soccer (@FOXSoccer) November 25, 2022
Weston says his success is his family’s success
The rising football star is very close to his family and said he owes a large part of his success to his supportive family. “You can see this as an achievement for her as much as it is for me. You’ve been there for me through thick and thin,” he explained The 18th. “They were there for me when I, wouldn’t say, had nervous breakdowns, but yeah, when I thought I couldn’t do it, when I thought I wasn’t good enough, when I thought I couldn’t do it or when people tripped me up. They were always in my corner to tell me I can do it and that I’m good enough and that I could do it and my dreams would come true.”