Sentence:  Life is predicated by the decisions and choices we make – and, earlier this year, the personal fused with the professional again as Mata reached the landmark moment when he knew he had to try to harness football's power for the benefit of people less fortunate than him and his <WSD>contemporaries</WSD>. 
Meaning of the word marked with <WSD> tags:  Someone or something living at the same time, or of roughly the same age as another.