Youngster meets Chelsea soccer players

Alex Idolor, who aspires someday to become a professional soccer player, received a once-in-a-lifetime surprise on Tuesday when he met and played soccer with players from London’s Chelsea Football Club.

He was one of three children to meet the players as part of a joint effort between Delta Air Lines and Children’s Hospital Los Angeles, where Alex is a patient.

In Westwood, Alex and other boys watched the players practice before joining them on the field, wearing custom jerseys.

The 10-year-old has been playing soccer since he was 5 years old, and since then, he has also coped with Type 1 diabetes. But he doesn’t let the disease slow him down.

It’s common for Alex to monitor his blood sugar seven to 10 times per day, and sometimes he’ll alert his coach if he needs a break while playing for the Crescenta Valley Soccer Club.

“I’ll tell the coach ‘I’m low, take me out for a few minutes.’ Then he’ll put me back in,” he said during a phone interview on Wednesday.

As he watched the players on the field on Tuesday, Alex closely observed the goalie.

“I play goalie, so I wanted to learn from him how he jumps to block the high balls,” he said. “I had a fun day, learning and watching the players train.”

Later on, Alex and other patients practiced fundamental drills including dribbling, and then played a game of foosball.

The Verdugo Woodlands Elementary student and his fellow patients learned that they would fly to London at a future date to see the Chelsea team play.

But not before he would see Chelsea take on the Liverpool Football Club Wednesday evening at the Rose Bowl, another surprise given to Alex and his fellow patients.

“I don’t have a favorite team,” Alex said. “Yesterday, Chelsea [was] my favorite team.”