Yankuba Minteh may now be showcasing his talent in the Premier League, but his football story began on a rough, sandy pitch in Bakoteh, West Africa.
As a child, his mother often frowned upon the endless hours he dedicated to the game, yet Minteh, now 21 and a rising Brighton & Hove Albion winger, was fuelled by the determination to change his family’s future.
Five years ago, he made the brave decision to leave behind his parents, six siblings, and close friends in The Gambia to chase a football dream in Europe.
“I wanted to change their life and take them out of poverty,” Minteh told reporters.
“The challenges were many because there was no support when I first started. At 16, living alone is not something anyone really wants to face. But in the end, the sacrifice has paid off.”
After helping Brighton secure an impressive eighth place finish last season, Minteh returned to his roots in Serrekunda, the largest city in The Gambia, just southwest of the capital Banjul.
There, he revisited the very sandy field where his passion first took shape, just three kilometres from the Atlantic Ocean, where local district teams still gather to play.
