Ahmed Mohammed, 23, who arrived as a 14-year-old unable to speak English, told the Standard: “Youngsters can relate to me when they hear my story.”
He was separated from his parents when sectarian violence erupted in Borno State in September 2010. Arriving in the UK soon after, he slept rough until the manager of a London-based Turkish football team saw how well he played despite not owning boots.
After being taken to Edmonton police station, he was put in care for four years and raised by Eritrean foster parents.
Mr Mohammed left Park View school in Tottenham with 10 GCSEs at grades A to C, including maths and English.
He was granted leave to remain in 2016 following a four-year battle aided by Tottenham MP David Lammy.
Now Mr Mohammed, a Hertford Town FC midfielder, has been recruited as an employment adviser by Tottenham Hotspur Foundation, which finds jobs and training for locals aged 16 to 24 to keep them away from crime. The 12-week course helps them gain core academic skills and interview techniques.
Mr Mohammed said: “Whether I become a professional footballer or not, I’ve always wanted to give back to my community. If it wasn’t for all the people who helped me, God knows where I’d be now … There’s always help but if you don’t speak, you don’t get help.”
Mr Mohammed, who has two daughters with his wife Fatima, was recently reunited with his family in Nigeria.
