--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: I had to be resilient playing non-League…" description: "\"I had to be resilient playing non-League because I was 17 playing against men. I always knew how to beat someone and how to use my body. And that's one..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f45/michail-antonio-6183_age_i-had-to-be-resilient-playing-non-league_1730716.jpg" --- # I had to be resilient playing non-League because I was 17… ![“I had to be resilient playing non-League because I was 17 playing against men. I always knew how to beat someone and how to use my body. And that's one thing academy players don't really learn. Because in the academy you're playing against people your age. I was always playing against men.” quote by Michail Antonio](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f45/michail-antonio-6183_age_i-had-to-be-resilient-playing-non-league_1730716.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f45/michail-antonio-6183_age_i-had-to-be-resilient-playing-non-league_1730716.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f45/michail-antonio-6183_age_i-had-to-be-resilient-playing-non-league_1730716.jpg) > “I had to be resilient playing non-League because I was 17 playing against men. I always knew how to beat someone and how to use my body. And that's one thing academy players don't really learn. Because in the academy you're playing against people your age. I was always playing against men.” [Michail Antonio](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michail-antonio/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. He learned toughness by playing older, stronger opponents, gaining physical and mental resilience not taught in youth academies. **In simple terms:** Playing against men built his resilience. Key Takeaway Embrace challenging competition to grow. Themes resilience physicality learning competition Mood determined reflective Type motivational inspirational When to use this quote - sports training - youth development - personal growth - team dynamics Key Concepts psychology skill development adaptation Questions to Reflect On - How can academies incorporate tougher physical challenges? - What personal benefits arise from facing older opponents? A Different Perspective Academy training may lack real-world physicality. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Age](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/age/) [Body](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/body/) [Men](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/men/) [People](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/people/) ## Related quotes > [Playing in non-League gave me the resilience. I learned everything there. You needed to fight off hard tackles and I was playing against big…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michail-antonio/playing-in-non-league-gave-me-the-resilience-i-learned-everything/) [Michail Antonio](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michail-antonio/) > [Me being at Coventry, instead of a big Premier League club, probably helped me develop. You don't get put in the academy system, playing…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-maddison/me-being-at-coventry-instead-of-a-big-premier-league-club-probably/) [James Maddison](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-maddison/) > [Players that come from non-league don't ever want to go back there, so they have more fight in them to make sure they don't…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michail-antonio/players-that-come-from-non-league-don-t-ever-want-to-go-back-there-so/) [Michail Antonio](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michail-antonio/) > [I don't really pay attention to the long-term, I take short steps - that is what I have done through my whole career, from…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michail-antonio/i-don-t-really-pay-attention-to-the-long-term-i-take-short-steps-that/) [Michail Antonio](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michail-antonio/) > [For me, I really liked the idea of playing a non-superhero on a superhero show.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jessica-henwick/for-me-i-really-liked-the-idea-of-playing-a-non-superhero-on-a/) [Jessica Henwick](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jessica-henwick/) > [I don't see anything wrong in playing a non-fiction character.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mohnish-bahl/i-don-t-see-anything-wrong-in-playing-a-non-fiction-character/) [Mohnish Bahl](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mohnish-bahl/) > [Women of my generation who've stayed in science have done it by playing the men at their own game.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jocelyn-bell-burnell/women-of-my-generation-who-ve-stayed-in-science-have-done-it-by/) [Jocelyn Bell Burnell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jocelyn-bell-burnell/) > [I've made a career over the last seventeen years of mostly playing men in uniform, especially cops. The one thing for an actor that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/benjamin-bratt/i-ve-made-a-career-over-the-last-seventeen-years-of-mostly-playing-2/) [Benjamin Bratt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/benjamin-bratt/) > [“If it weren’t hysterical – if the amazing Serena Williams would really be 700th in the world if playing against men – this would…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/the-guardian/if-it-weren-t-hysterical-if-the-amazing-serena-williams-would-really/) [The Guardian](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/the-guardian/) > [In the third level you can have only one American on your team. In the second level you can have two, and in the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/danilo-gallinari/in-the-third-level-you-can-have-only-one-american-on-your-team-in-the/) [Danilo Gallinari](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/danilo-gallinari/) > [Then started playing men's cricket when I was 15. That's when I stopped enjoying it. 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I've definitely got to bulk up at some point.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/patrick-kane/i-m-playing-against-men-who-are-bigger-and-stronger-than-i-m-used-to/) [Patrick Kane](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/patrick-kane/) > [It is true that in this culture, they throw you out when you get older. I see it all the time, especially in my…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bette-midler/it-is-true-that-in-this-culture-they-throw-you-out-when-you-get-older/) [Bette Midler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bette-midler/) ## More by Michail Antonio > [Kurt Zouma is a strong guy.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michail-antonio/kurt-zouma-is-a-strong-guy/) [Michail Antonio](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michail-antonio/) > [You get better by studying and playing with better players.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michail-antonio/you-get-better-by-studying-and-playing-with-better-players/) [Michail Antonio](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michail-antonio/) > [I'm quite ragged. 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