If you were offered a lucrative contract to play professional soccer, many would immediately sign on the dotted line.
But that was not the case for one student-athlete at Georgetown University.
He turned down a contract with Major League Soccer opting instead for a college degree.
Joshua Yaro is a 19-year-old central defender for the Hoyaswho was pegged by many as the No. 1 pick in the MLS SuperDraft.
ââ¬ÅHe is the fastest player I have ever seen on the soccer field at any level,â⬠said Georgetown men's soccer head coach Brian Wiese.
Yaro can win the ball before he has even stepped on the field.
ââ¬ÅThe ball was played into the corner and Joshua was in a foot race with a forward,â⬠said Wiese. ââ¬ÅTheir coach literally told their forward to stop running because he was running against Yaro.ââ¬
Yaro grew up in Ghana. But the Georgetown Hoyas are not very well known in West Africa.
ââ¬ÅIt's a miracle that I ended up at Georgetown,â⬠Yaro told us.
ââ¬ÅHe had to Google Georgetown,â⬠said Wiese.
ââ¬ÅI didn't even know anything about Georgetown, so I went on Google, searched Georgetown, and said, ââ¬ËAh, that's a good school,â⬠Yaro recalled.
He had the option to enter the MLS SuperDraft through the Generation Adidas program, which gives underclassmen a guaranteed 3-year contract. In his case, that was rumored to be in excess of $200,000 a year.
ââ¬ÅI wasn't looking at the money,â⬠said Yaro. ââ¬ÅI was looking at if I leave, I want to be able to graduate from Georgetown, and the answer to me was no.ââ¬
Yaro is the epitome of a student-athlete. He has a 3.7 grade point average and has made the Dean's List every semester at Georgetown while taking 18 credit hours while playing soccer.
ââ¬ÅHe needs a little Superman outfit,â⬠his head coach said. ââ¬ÅHe changes from his soccer kit to his class duds."
ââ¬ÅHe can do whatever he wants. I think how he handles people, his drive, once he has his eyes set on something, it is unique. Whatever he sets his mind to, he will succeed at it.
ââ¬ÅRight now, his mind is set on giving back to Ghana.ââ¬
For someone that wants to work in diplomacy, there is no better place to be than Washington D.C.
After his soccer career is finished, Yaro wants to be a role model for future Joshua Yaros.
ââ¬ÅSetting up programs that will encourage and teach young and upcoming kids that you can be a soccer player, which is something that every kid in Ghana loves, and at the same time get a college degree,â⬠he said. ââ¬ÅI think it would be a difference in the way our culture is set up right now.ââ¬
Before he is the Ghanaian ambassador or even enters the MLS, Yaro has some unfinished business at Georgetown.
ââ¬ÅWe are going to go to the College Cup and hopefully win it,â⬠he said.