With his winning attitude, this player has scored a goal in our hearts.
Emmanuel Hilton, a 17-year-old student at Blackhawk High School in Chippewa, Pennsylvania, was born without the lower part of his legs. The high school junior, who was adopted from an orphanage in the Republic of the Congo, remains active despite his challenges and is currently a backup goalkeeper for his school's junior varsity soccer team, 11 WPXI reported.
According to his coach, Hilton isn't just a good teammate. Because of his spirit, he also serves as a huge motivation for all the other players to give it their all.
“He inspires so many guys,” Vitali told CBS Pittsburgh. “He inspires me to come out and do my job better. The guys see him moving and they pick up their intensity. He’s completely exceeded our expectations.”
Hilton has fit in nicely with the team, according to the outlet. He's even been given the nickname "E-man" by his teammates. When playing the game, he gets one modification -- he's allowed to kick with his arms. But his teammates don't cut him any slack when playing with him.
Though the teen is having a great time on the team, Hilton went through a lot before becoming a high school goalie. Because of his disability, Hilton's birth mother left him and he was eventually placed in an orphanage, 11 WPXI reported. His adoptive parents, the Reverend Gary Hilton and Michelle Hilton, decided to adopt the teen years ago, but the process ended up taking four years. The teen has been living in the U.S. for about a year.
And while the goalie was initially nervous about how the team members would react to him, he told CBS Pittsburgh he knows now that he's accepted.
“They like me, they’re happy, so I feel comfortable to be on the team.”
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