(FIFA.com) Friday 25 December 2015
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Football never ceases to amaze with its ability to inspire passion in the most improbable places, with a love of the game capable of blossoming anywhere from a post office to a caravan or a zoo, or even the heart of a civil war.
FIFA organised five different tournaments in 2015, plus numerous qualifiers for the 2018 FIFA World Cup Russia™, which meant that FIFA.com jetted off to all four corners of the globe to bring you the very best insights from behind the scenes. We now look back at ten of the most memorable stories recounted by our editorial team in the last 12 months.
Youga starting to deliverA former postman at a sorting office in Lyon, midfielder Amos Youga is now plying his trade in the French elite for Gazelec Ajaccio and has turned out for Central African Republic in World Cup qualifying. His day-to-day routine has clearly been transformed, but Youga himself remains unchanged. "I've not got Cristiano Ronaldo's car or house!" he told us. "I've got a low-key, practical flat, and I have everything that I need. It's got two bedrooms, a balcony, a living room and a kitchen, but no swimming pool. There wouldn't be any point in that. I'm keeping my feet on the ground. Not all that long ago, I was delivering letters."
Read his story
Kamara's incredible journeyBorn in Kenema, Sierra Leone, forward Kei Kamara grew up in the middle of an 11-year civil war that left the country devastated. "You woke up in the morning and there were dead bodies on the street, vultures eating their flesh," he said, having ultimately found refuge in football. Kamara left home and hid in bushes before eventually leaving Sierra Leone for a refugee camp in Gambia, after which he was granted asylum in the United States. Now a striker for Columbus Crew, he is making the most of the present – even if he has not forgotten his past.
Read his story
Myanmar's globetrottersMyanmar's adventure at the FIFA U-20 World Cup New Zealand 2015 was nothing short of a life-changing event for the players involved. After sealing their historic finals berth, the White Angels spent time in no less than eight countries and experienced a huge amount as they prepared for and then contested the main event: Germany, Australia, Belgium, Hungary, FYR Macedonia, Slovenia, Ukraine and, of course, New Zealand. FIFA.com was on hand to hear their travel tales.
Read their story
FIFA organised five different tournaments in 2015, plus numerous qualifiers for the 2018 FIFA World Cup Russia™, which meant that FIFA.com jetted off to all four corners of the globe to bring you the very best insights from behind the scenes. We now look back at ten of the most memorable stories recounted by our editorial team in the last 12 months.
Youga starting to deliverA former postman at a sorting office in Lyon, midfielder Amos Youga is now plying his trade in the French elite for Gazelec Ajaccio and has turned out for Central African Republic in World Cup qualifying. His day-to-day routine has clearly been transformed, but Youga himself remains unchanged. "I've not got Cristiano Ronaldo's car or house!" he told us. "I've got a low-key, practical flat, and I have everything that I need. It's got two bedrooms, a balcony, a living room and a kitchen, but no swimming pool. There wouldn't be any point in that. I'm keeping my feet on the ground. Not all that long ago, I was delivering letters."
Read his story
Kamara's incredible journeyBorn in Kenema, Sierra Leone, forward Kei Kamara grew up in the middle of an 11-year civil war that left the country devastated. "You woke up in the morning and there were dead bodies on the street, vultures eating their flesh," he said, having ultimately found refuge in football. Kamara left home and hid in bushes before eventually leaving Sierra Leone for a refugee camp in Gambia, after which he was granted asylum in the United States. Now a striker for Columbus Crew, he is making the most of the present – even if he has not forgotten his past.
Read his story
Myanmar's globetrottersMyanmar's adventure at the FIFA U-20 World Cup New Zealand 2015 was nothing short of a life-changing event for the players involved. After sealing their historic finals berth, the White Angels spent time in no less than eight countries and experienced a huge amount as they prepared for and then contested the main event: Germany, Australia, Belgium, Hungary, FYR Macedonia, Slovenia, Ukraine and, of course, New Zealand. FIFA.com was on hand to hear their travel tales.
Read their story
Lopez: from extra to star turnPablo Lopez first lent a hand to Mexico's U-17 team a number of years before he took the pitch at the FIFA U-17 World Cup Chile 2015. "It was during the 2011 World Cup that Mexico won on home soil," Lopez explained. "As a member of the Pachuca academy, I got to be a ball boy for the two matches that the team played in the city. I was 13; I knew I wanted to be a footballer and to represent my country, but back then I never imagined that I'd one day play in the same competition." Play he did, though, as Mexico surged through to the semi-finals in Chile.
Read his story
Ryan reaching farBack when he was 18, Mat Ryan was watching the 2010 World Cup in a caravan and playing in the reserves for Central Coast Mariners. Just four years later, he slipped on the gloves for Australia at Brazil 2014 – and the success continued this year as he also played his part in the Socceroos' greatest triumph yet, their 2015 AFC Asian Cup win. Read more about Ryan's fascinating journey from Norah Head, north of Sydney, to Valencia in Spain.
Read his story
Slater's tall taleSt. Vincent and the Grenadines forward Tevin Slater is more than just a gifted footballer – he can also lay claim to being a talented fisherman. "Scoring goals and catching fish are kind of the same feeling," he told us. "It makes you smile. There's no guarantees out on the water or out on the pitch. But when they come, the goals or the fish, it's a nice feeling."
Read his story
Jara Saguier's family tradeParaguay ended a 14-year absence from the U-17 World Cup when they contested Chile 2015, and one of the key figures in their resurgence was coach Carlos Jara Saguier. Football feats seem to run in the family, though, as Carlos is one of seven brothers who played professionally in Paraguay. "I don't think there's any other family in the world that's done that," he said. "And that's not all. My father also founded Rubio Nu, who now play in the first division. I'm one person who can definitely say that I've got football in my blood."
Read his story
Williams' animal passionAustralia would surely not have impressed with quite the same panache at the FIFA Women's World Cup Canada 2015™ without the long reach and quick reflexes of goalkeeper Lydia Williams. But what if she picked up a few pointers on how to jump and punch the ball from a kangaroo? Daughter of an Aborigine father and American mother, the Matildas' last line of defence kept one as a pet when she was growing up and has never lost her love of animals, having even studied for a degree in zoo-keeping.
Read her story
Quinteros teaching by exampleMonica Quinteros spends her days at school as a Physical Education teacher, explaining the need to work hard and make sacrifices to her pupils. She is well placed to spread the message as she brought those very same qualities to bear as she scored the crucial goal that earned Ecuador their maiden Women's World Cup berth at Canada 2015.
Read her story
Rayo's ray of light"Football's always been a sport that's about solidarity," explained Roberto Trashorras, captain of a Rayo Vallecano side that has long lived in the shadows of Real Madrid and Atletico in the Spanish capital. "Solidarity is our lifeblood," added Raul Martín Presa, President of one of the very last 'neighbourhood clubs' in the professional game. Learn more about the different community initiatives regularly launched by the small Madrid side with a big heart.
Read his story
Ryan reaching farBack when he was 18, Mat Ryan was watching the 2010 World Cup in a caravan and playing in the reserves for Central Coast Mariners. Just four years later, he slipped on the gloves for Australia at Brazil 2014 – and the success continued this year as he also played his part in the Socceroos' greatest triumph yet, their 2015 AFC Asian Cup win. Read more about Ryan's fascinating journey from Norah Head, north of Sydney, to Valencia in Spain.
Read his story
Slater's tall taleSt. Vincent and the Grenadines forward Tevin Slater is more than just a gifted footballer – he can also lay claim to being a talented fisherman. "Scoring goals and catching fish are kind of the same feeling," he told us. "It makes you smile. There's no guarantees out on the water or out on the pitch. But when they come, the goals or the fish, it's a nice feeling."
Read his story
Jara Saguier's family tradeParaguay ended a 14-year absence from the U-17 World Cup when they contested Chile 2015, and one of the key figures in their resurgence was coach Carlos Jara Saguier. Football feats seem to run in the family, though, as Carlos is one of seven brothers who played professionally in Paraguay. "I don't think there's any other family in the world that's done that," he said. "And that's not all. My father also founded Rubio Nu, who now play in the first division. I'm one person who can definitely say that I've got football in my blood."
Read his story
Williams' animal passionAustralia would surely not have impressed with quite the same panache at the FIFA Women's World Cup Canada 2015™ without the long reach and quick reflexes of goalkeeper Lydia Williams. But what if she picked up a few pointers on how to jump and punch the ball from a kangaroo? Daughter of an Aborigine father and American mother, the Matildas' last line of defence kept one as a pet when she was growing up and has never lost her love of animals, having even studied for a degree in zoo-keeping.
Read her story
Quinteros teaching by exampleMonica Quinteros spends her days at school as a Physical Education teacher, explaining the need to work hard and make sacrifices to her pupils. She is well placed to spread the message as she brought those very same qualities to bear as she scored the crucial goal that earned Ecuador their maiden Women's World Cup berth at Canada 2015.
Read her story
Rayo's ray of light"Football's always been a sport that's about solidarity," explained Roberto Trashorras, captain of a Rayo Vallecano side that has long lived in the shadows of Real Madrid and Atletico in the Spanish capital. "Solidarity is our lifeblood," added Raul Martín Presa, President of one of the very last 'neighbourhood clubs' in the professional game. Learn more about the different community initiatives regularly launched by the small Madrid side with a big heart.
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