Young Chilean Goalkeeper Trades Professional Career for Missionary Service

At just 20 years old, Pablo Arteaga stood at the threshold of what many young athletes dream of: a career in professional soccer. A goalkeeper with the Imperial Unido club in southern Chile, Arteaga had drawn interest from scouts and received offers that promised both stability and prestige.

But earlier this year, he stunned his coaches and teammates by announcing that he would be stepping away from the sport altogether. His decision, he explained, was guided not by injury or disappointment, but by faith. Arteaga has chosen to serve as a full-time missionary for the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.

“On the field I enjoyed it when I won, but inside the temple it was different: a lasting joy. At that moment I decided that I wanted to serve a mission,” Arteaga said, reflecting on his experience at the Concepción temple.

Facing Difficult Choices

Arteaga grew up in a family passionate about soccer and spent years building his path in the sport. By the age of 18, offers for better contracts and career opportunities were already arriving.

“They offered me to continue, even with a salary increase,” he recalled. “But that night, after praying… I felt the burning in my chest that serving was the right thing to do. I immediately called my coaches and explained to them that I would not continue.”

The decision, Arteaga acknowledged, meant leaving behind professional opportunities many consider secure. But he described it as an act of choosing “the eternal” over the temporary.

A Broader Message

Arteaga’s decision has resonated with other young Latter-day Saints who also pause education or careers to dedicate two years to missionary work.

Today, known as Elder Arteaga, he is serving in the Mendoza Argentina Mission. His example, shared through the Church’s press office in Chile, highlights the sacrifices some young athletes and professionals make in order to follow their faith.

The biblical passage he cites — “For what shall it profit a man, if he shall gain the whole world, and lose his own soul?” (Matthew 16:26) — underscores the conviction behind his choice.

For Arteaga, leaving the field was not an end but a beginning: a chance to dedicate this stage of his life to service.