Twenty-four-year-old Rashawn Livingston has spent much of his life dreaming about football.

In fact, his early years were centred around the sport — from playing the Under-13 league in his Corporate Area community of Cooreville Gardens to advancing to Major League and Manning Cup matches.

Tomorrow, his team Malholtra from Kingston will be among the finalists in the Red Bull Neymar Jr Five football competition, hoping for a chance to travel to Brazil to compete against over 100,000 players from 42 countries.

Livingston’s quest to advance in the sport has so far seen him playing Major League for Duhaney Park, and two semi-final finishes for the Cooreville Gardens FC. The budding footballer has now set his sights higher to one day making it to local top flight champions Portmore United and to visit Brazil, after winning the Neymar Jr Five finals.

“Football is my life,” said a confident Livingston, who was named the Most Valued Player in the Red Bull Neymar Jr Five. “I’ve been training really hard and hope to do my best,” he said.

He plans to share the $50,000 MVP prize money with his team.

His proudest football moment came when he represented Trench Town Comprehensive High School in the 2013/2014 Manning Cup season and scored three goals. He, however, felt he could have done much better and plans to work to improve his game.

He is inspired by Brazilian great Ronaldinho, whom he has admired from childhood, and hopes to one day play as well as the former star. He gives credit to his mother, Cardine Brown, a single mom who allowed him to watch matches involving his football idol while growing up. “She doesn’t always get the time to watch matches that I play in because of her business, but whenever she can, she tries,” Livingston noted.

For now his eyes are firmly fixed on his team winning tomorrow’s finals and collecting the winning package.