SAN DIEGO (Border Report) — Ibrahime Sylla was only 17 and all alone when he arrived in Tijuana from the West African country of Guinea two years ago.
The YMCA shelter for unaccompanied migrant minors took him in and he quickly endeared himself to staff and other residents.
“He’s an old soul, but his heart is full of love, he’s a very giving person,” said Abril Zaragoza, the director of the shelter.
Zaragoza said Sylla also showed a lot of soccer talent.
“A scout told us, ‘Take care of him. He is very good,'” she said.
He was so good that he caught the eye of several professional teams in Mexico.
However, because he was an immigrant without the proper documents, he could not sign and start realizing his dream of becoming a professional soccer player.
Sylla turned 18 and left the shelter before he was taken in by a family in Tijuana.
Soon, he would be fluent in Spanish and the United Nations Refugee Agency got involved in his case.
“We tried to create a network of support for him,” said Valeria Ruiz, with the YMCA in Tijuana. “The UN got involved and got him permits and a tryout.”
Club Necaxa saw something in Sylla and signed him three months ago before sending him to the Mexican city of Aguascalientes where the team is based.
A video recently produced by the United Nations shows Sylla walking around the city chatting with a vendor after having a fresh coconut filled with water.
“I haven’t had one of these since I left home,” Sylla says in perfect Spanish.
In the video, he makes his goals perfectly clear.
“My dream is to play at the professional level,” he says.
The now 19-year-old says he also wants to study while playing soccer.
“I’m getting ready to take the university entrance exam,” he says
No one knows if Sylla will ever realize his dream, but for now, he is training with the big club hoping to impress his coaches.
“I envisioned myself making my pro debut soon.”
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