At the age of fourteen, Ebrima Darboe fled his native Gambia in the hope of a better future. From Libya, he entered Europe on a refugee boat, together with two friends and without his parents, and eventually ended up in Italy. On Thursday evening, he made his European debut on behalf of Roma in the semi-final of the Europa League against Manchester United. “I thank God and Italy,” said the talented midfielder.
As a teenager, Darboe reached a Libyan refugee camp by bus after saying goodbye to his mother, brother and two sisters. His father had died two years earlier. In the refugee camp, he was maltreated and abused before he managed to cross over to Europe on a refugee boat. The Gambian talent then ended up in Sicily. Heavily malnourished – Darboe weighed barely fifty kilos at 1.80 meters – he was included in the so-called SPRAR project, an Italian system for asylum seekers where he was assigned to a social worker. Ultimately, Darboe was received by a host family in Rieti, a city 100 kilometers north of Rome.
As a player of a youth team of the local association, he stood out for his talent. An AS Roma scout caught his eye during a Rieti match. Roma saw it in him and added him to the youth academy in 2019. Darboe enforced a contract of about fifty thousand euros a year. According to Italian media, he sends a significant part of his salary to his family in The Gambia. Last Sunday, Darboe’s dream came true when he was allowed to make his debut in Serie A. Trainer Paulo Fonseca let him come in ten minutes before time, trailing 2-0 against Sampdoria. Four days later, Darboe was allowed to take off his tracksuit after half an hour. When Chris Smalling was injured, it was the Gambian who was allowed to make his European debut against Manchester United.
For an hour he stood on the field against the British superpower. Roma won the game 3-2, although that was not enough for a place in the final due to the 6-2 away defeat. Nevertheless, it remains a night to remember for Darboe. “It is impossible to describe what I feel now,” he said after the match Sky Italia. “This is a dream come true. Getting to the top in Africa is difficult. I had no choice but to flee to Europe to make my dream come true. It has been tough, but I thank God and Italy. I am “So grateful to have ended up in a host family. I was noticed by a scout named Miriam Petruzzi and she changed my life. I am so grateful to her.”
“I know everyone watched tonight. Five years ago I watched football on television in The Gambia. Now I was on the field with the players I was watching at the time. I know I haven’t achieved anything yet. There is still a long way to go. I will continue to work hard to help my team ”, said Darboe, who says he has always been well received at AS Roma. “I also received a lot of help from Daniele De Rossi, who took care of me from the start. Later also from Kolarov. Now I am very close to Diawara. I advise all young players never to give up and believe in yourself. Keep dreaming! ”, Says Darboe.
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