Most successful GAA players have dabbled in several sports before finally settling on one that they put all of their energy into, and Mayo legend Andy Moran is no different.
The former Player of the Year wasn't always one of the first names on the team sheet in his younger days, as he struggled to break into the starting line up in county development teams.
In an interview with Anne Marie Gibbons on Castlebar Community Radio, Moran explained how he almost ended up quitting Gaelic football.
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"I came out of Minor and I wasn't really that good to be honest. I played two years of Minor and never really made the team. I was always more kind of a sub coming on.
"Two of my friends got straight called up into the U-21 team. I didn't get called up."
The multi-talanted sportsman had an opportunity to pursue other passions and potential career changes, particularly in the field of soccer.
It was around this time that Moran was offered the opportunity to play soccer for Longford Town instead.
"I loved it. I really enjoyed playing soccer. I was young, only 19 or 20 years of age.
"When I was younger it was probably always my dream to play a bit of professional soccer but I was getting to a stage where those opportunities were running out."
It's a story that many top inter-county players will be familiar with, as they are often proficient in soccer as well as Gaelic football, but thankfully for Mayo, Moran eventually got the call from John Maughan to come into the senior panel.
"It was the players you were looking up to, when you were a teenager and then suddenly they're your teammates."
Six All-Ireland finals later, All-Stars, Player of the Year award, and now a fruitful managerial and coaching career - Moran certainly won't have many regrets about sticking with football.
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