Monday, October 17, 2016

meet Gambian refugee who scored his first Bundesliga goal


Bremen striker Ousman Manneh said it was "a dream come true" to score his first Bundesliga goal two years after arriving in Germany from The Gambia as a refugee.

The 19-year-old got the winner for Werder Bremen as they beat Bayer Leverkusen 2-1 on Saturday. Manneh left his entire family behind in The Gambia at the age of 17 and only started playing football when he settled in a German refugee centre.

"I can't believe this," he said. "Is this real or am I dreaming? This is the greatest moment of my life."

Manneh impressed in a trial with German fifth tier side Blumenthaler in 2014 and went on to score 15 goals in 11 games for their youth team. His form attracted interest from Bremen, who signed him for their reserves in March 2015.

Manneh was making just his fourth appearance for the first team when he scored in the 59th minute against Leverkusen at Bremen's Weser Stadion.

"It's hard to describe my feelings," he added. "I've been so proud to be the first Gambian to play four Bundesliga games, and now I'm proud to be the first one to score."

Photo credit: Getty image

No comments:

Post a Comment