Every day, Muhammadu, Abdullahi and Hassan Darkin Daura chase hopes for a better future by playing football.
They are not just playing football for the fun of it. The boys are chasing dreams far bigger than the field they train on.
Muhammadu, Abdullahi, and Hassan are out-of-school children, often referred to as Almajiri, surviving in the margins of society.
The Boys share the same surname Darkin Daura because they have no idea about their roots but live in a neighborhood named “Darkin Daura” in Nassarawa LGA so they adopted it as their surname.
Almajiri boys are children, mostly in northern Nigeria, sent to Islamic schools to study the Quran but often end up begging on the streets due to poor living conditions and lack of support.
But in their hearts, they carry ambition that refuses to be silenced.
From 4 to 6 p.m. each day, the boys gather at a section of the Race Course field in Nassarawa Local Government Area (LGA) in Kano training for the future.
Race course is approximately 1.4 km, just 4 minutes drive to the Kano state government house.
14-year-old Muhammadu says “I want to be like Lamine Yamal, he inspires me a lot.
“He is a young boy and I believe that if Lamine can be so good at playing football at a young age, I can also do it.
“I come here with my friends to train everyday so that when an opportunity comes by, I will be ready to take the chance”.
He believes that his lack of education is what is slowing him down from becoming like his Idol, Lamine Yamal.
“I wish I have the chance to attend a school, I am sure that I would have gone far in my pursuit to become a football star.
“I believe that my dreams will come through one day.
“When I become a big footballer, I will give back to the society by building a hospital where people can access healthcare at a minimal cost.” he promised.
The three boys show up every day playing football barefoot. They don’t even have a real football.
Instead, they use sachet water nylons tied tightly together with thread, rolled into a makeshift ball.
It wobbles when kicked and loosens often but to them, it’s their passport to a dream.
For Abdullahi, he dreams of being a goalkeeper like Real Madrid’s Thibaut Courtois.
“The way he catches the ball inspires me,” he says with a grin.
His goal isn’t just personal success. “When I make it, I will make sure my friends enroll for a football academy so they friends don’t have to beg on the streets to get what to eat everyday like the way we do now.
“Going to a football academy will afford my friends the opportunity to go to school. We will all grow together and become useful in the society,” he said.
Playing with bare feet
They play barefoot on rough ground, risking injury for a shot they take.
Some of the more privileged children they train with wear sandals or slippers, but Muhammadu, Abdullahi, and Hassan have only their bare feet. Still, they press on unafraid and determined.
15-year-old Hassan trains daily with the determination of someone twice his age, hoping to be the next Ronaldo, Camavinga, Vinicius, or Mbappé.
“We live in a world that often overlooks us. We lack basic education, healthcare, and shelter only the hope for a better future through football.
“We do not have a coach to sharpen our skills because we cannot enroll into a football academy. We just practice what we see other footballers do when they play football.
“Sometimes we have the opportunity to watch these players in a football viewing center we learn new skills and try them out when we come to train,” Hassan explained.
