Football has been a great leveller in recent times. May it be settling the ego or may it be helping the player to get the status quo. The sport has allowed them to reach different heights over the years. In this article, we shall look at 5 footballers who faced extreme poverty to reach greatness.
The players have come through poverty before making it to the top earning bracket of the league. May it be Mohamed Salah or may it be Angel di Maria, they all have toiled hard to enjoy the riches at the present.
5 footballers who faced extreme poverty to reach greatness
Diego Maradona
The Argentine legend who helped his national team to win the most coveted World Cup with his “Hand of God”, Maradona started his football life with a low sum. He lived in the slums of Villa Fiorito before making it to the top football.
According to few reports, the player lived in a room with seven siblings and even had fell into a cesspit in the dark. The same street kid went on to sign the contract at the age of 15 with bareless feet and supported his family ever after to come up from the deep mess.
Cristiano Ronaldo
The images of Cristiano Ronaldo sweeping the floor are all over the internet. The son of a drunkard had promised his dad to reach greatness which was warded off as a joke. However, using his brilliance and skills, the player went on to earn huge sums, own luxurious cars and still play at the top level football.
The player was so impoverished during his early years that the coaches were feeding with extra food to overcome the slim posture. As per the recent reports, the player’s net worth is estimated to be around 500 million dollars.
Sadio Mane
One of the few players in football, Sadio Mane was born in such a poor family that he could not even get primary education. With no money to go to school, the player was found playing football with locals. Accidentally, he was spotted by a French scout and asked him to travel to France. It was the change in his fortune where he went on to feature for FC Metz.
The player is currently using whatever he is earning to build schools and hospitals in his hometown so that the people can get access to quality health and education. His famous line was,
Why would I want ten Ferraris, 20 diamond watches and two jet planes? What would that do for the world? I starved, I worked in the fields, I played barefoot, and I didn’t go to school. Now I can help people. I prefer to build schools and give poor people food or clothing
Zlatan Ibrahimovic
The Swedish striker is known for arrogant attitude and his travels across the globe for the game, Zlatan Ibrahimovic came up through the poor town of Rosengard district of Malmö. The district is not known for producing the talents but is known for swallowing the football talents.
He had an alcoholic father and due to which, his parents got divorced. The player came through the struggling environment before making it to the top football level. At the moment, he is valued around $90 million.
Luka Modric
The Real Madrid skipper has seen and experienced whatever a human can bear to a maximum extent. Born and brought up in Croatia, the player had to reside in his grandfather’s house because of his family’s poor finances. His grandfather was killed by Serbian rebels and the house was burnt down. The family had to flee the area.
Despite having a thin body, the player had a knack of playing the game. He was signed by Dinamo Zagreb and went on to feature for the most famous club across the globe, Real Madrid. He also won the most coveted Ballon d’Or during the period of Lionel Messi- Cristiano Ronaldo dominance.
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