Tijani plays football to help his mum in Ghana

Tijani was only three years old when his father passed away. This left his mum having to work extra hard to bring up her children.

“My mum is my hero. She struggles to get by with what little she has. She picks coconuts and makes oil out of them, which she then sells on,” explains Tijani.

“She taught me and my siblings to take care of ourselves and be responsible.”

This inspired the young man to become a good football player.

“In Ghana, football is a viewed as a big profession, so you invest everything into it in the hope of succeeding,” he explains.

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“My goal as a footballer was to be able to take care of my mum.”

Tijani was selected to train with the Under-20 national team in Ghana, and he was soon scouted by Danish first-division club Esbjerg.

“It was exciting to go from all the troubles in Ghana to suddenly find yourself playing football professionally in Europe.”

After a while, however, the Esbjerg coach told him that even though he was a talented player, they needed someone who was taller and stronger.

This was a blow but not a knockout: “For me, growing up means trying to move on from past disappointments. Dwelling on the past will not help you move forward,” he says.

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While in Esbjerg, Tijani met a Ghanian man, who knew a Faroese football agent.

This eventually led to a contract with B71 Sandoy, where he is now a key figure in the club’s first division team.

He lives in the town of Sandur with his wife and their two children. In addition to his football job, he works as a carpenter.

“I did not quite reach the big stage in football, but I love my new life and my family here in Sandur,” he says.

“Nevertheless, I did reach my dream of providing for my family and my mum, who still lives in Ghana.”

On the wall in Tijani’s family home in Sandur hangs a poster with the words “Nothing is given, it must be earnt”.

Hear the interview with Tijani in English here.

Translated by prosa.fo.

More Faroese News in English