Michael Ede and sports: a sweet symbiosis

Dreams are a result of deep desires. Whether love, success, or career, dreams can help people find a direction and purpose. It can set the tone for one’s life.

Dreaming can work wonders for people. It is a power that every single person in this world possesses. Unfortunately, only a few people have the potential within them to work towards their dreams. It requires effort, determination, passion, and of course, luck.

Among these dream pursuers, only a handful turn their dreams into a reality but what happens to others is heartbreaking.

Lost hope, misery, grief, and shattered confidence. This is usually the fate of those who give their all to live their dreams but fail due to odds not being in their favour. It is upsetting to see such passionate people lose their spark.

These people must see the light, the opportunity within their failures, and the success that lies beyond. Michael Ede, a FA licensed players’ intermediary and serial entrepreneur, has taken it upon himself to help ‘dreamers’ see beyond their failures. And he is the perfect person to do that. Why?

THE BEGINNING…

Michael Ede was born on March 3, 1975, to a Nigerian family. He was a passionate and determined individual from the start. Michael believed strongly in fighting for his dreams and achieving his goals. To be able to make his dreams come true, he had to work hard.

While he always stayed ahead of his academics, it was sports that had captured his heart. Michael desired to be an athlete and establish himself as a force to be reckoned with in sports; he wanted to be the best. He was active in sports and did not let his education be a hurdle in his journey; neither did he let his passion for sports derail him from his goal of achieving academic success.

While he did his best to achieve his dreams, fate had something else in store for him. The odds did not work in his favor, and he could not establish himself as a top athlete. But this ‘setback’ did not let him give up on life altogether.

He embraced reality and continued with his education. Michael enrolled in the University of Jos, acquired a bachelor’s degree in biochemistry, and graduated with second-class honours.

After completing his Bachelor’s, Michael moved to the United Kingdom, intending to become his own boss. He went to the Manchester Metropolitan University Business School and completed his master’s in Business Administration with a specialisation in strategy, entrepreneurship and international business.

Completing his master’s led him to work at some of the most well-known firms in the world, including AstraZeneca, HSBC, Barclays, Capgemini, and Bank of Ireland.

It also helped him build a strong reputation in the IT industry. But this was not what he wanted; he wanted to be the boss in his own life. He moved forward and set up an IT consulting and management firm in 2013, Maigmike Consulting.

With experience, knowledge, and expertise in social entrepreneurship and international business, project management, analytical and revolutionary business re-strategisation, and content business strategy, he was ready to start his business.

He invested his time, money, and efforts into building this company, and it worked. Maigmike Consulting became a well-reputed business consultancy.

While he gave his all to his IT consulting and management firm, Michael never stopped believing in his dream. Even though he did not get an opportunity to become an athlete, he did not and could not give up on his dream this easily.

While running his company, Michael kept working to build his portfolio strong enough to step into sports with a bang. He enrolled in John Viola Academy and obtained a Football Agent Pro certification. Not only this, but Michael also got S4 Scouting Professional Football Recruitment and Players Scouting Level 1 Training.

He’s a member of the prestigious Forbes Council – exceptional community of business leaders collaborating and networking across the globe.

In 2020, Michael finally laid the foundations of Uplift11 Sports – a sports leveraging company and platform. He could not become an athlete, but he became the one to bridge the gap between talent and opportunity for those who lacked resources.

Through his sports agency, Michael has worked with some notable footballers and coaches like Charlevy Mabiala, Tonći Kukoč, Lugiani Gallardo, Lewis Horner, Emanuele Ferraro, and many others. He is aware of how difficult it is for an aspiring athlete to get an opportunity, especially for those belonging to third- world regions such as Africa

He finally found a way to fulfill his dream that was driven by his deepest desire. It is Michael Ede who is proving to that handful of individuals who, despite giving their all, fail to achieve their dreams that there’s always a way because life works in mysterious ways.