Keeper

I am reading a novel by Mal Peet called the Keeper. El Gato, goalkeeper of the world cup champions, has an interview with veteran soccer reporter Paul Faustino. The interview starts with some background stuff about El Gato. In his childhood he was no good at soccer, when he got the ball his teammates yelled "leave it." El Gato decided to stop playing soccer and instead he ventured into the forest and explored. "It was giving up soccer that made me a soccer player," El Gato said. He explored and came upon a mysterious field one day and that is where he played soccer.