When
he first trained with Hamburg aged just 17-years-old and fresh off the back of
a 6,000 kilometre journey to safety across the Sahara and the Mediterranean,
Gambian refugee Bakary Jatta had never seen snow before.
The
teenager hailed from a country whose lowest average temperature was 24 degrees
celsius, but was playing alongside men in minus seven degrees and still did
enough to impress then HSV boss Bruno Labbadia.
“The boy can kick,” the coach claimed before
signing him to the club’s Under-21 side.
“I
have a lot of respect because of his story,” Labbadia told reporters.
It is impressive that he had the courage to do
something like this.”
Before
signing for Hamburg, Jatta had never played for a club before.
He
used to play outside his house in the Gambia, but fled for his life under the
cruel regime of dictator Yahya Jammeh, who suppressed the media, outlawed
homosexuality and claimed he would “cut off the head” of any gay person, as
well as claiming he could cure HIV/Aids through natural herbs.
Jatta
left his home country for a better life, and after a perilious trek across
desert and sea, arrived in Germany with only a small bag of belongings,
settling in Bremen. His athletic prowess was noticed at the Lother Kannenberg
Academy, a centre for disadvantaged teenagers founded by an ex-alcoholic boxer.
After
unsuccessful negotiations by academy advisor Efe Aktas with nearby Werder
Bremen, who only offered a preliminary deal, Jatta visited Hamburg hoping for a
permanent contract to help secure his residency in Germany. His lack of
experience mattered little as he quickly settled into the U21 squad, scoring
twice on his debut.
Following
the impressive start, U21 coach Dirk Kunert said: “It’s just the football god
who writes these stories.”
In
15 games, he scored 14 times and assisted three more goals for the U21 side,
doing enough to make the step up to the senior team and become the first
refugee to play in the Bundesliga when he made his Hamburg debut on April 16
against Werder Bremen.
A
week after his 18th birthday, he signed a three-year contract with Hamburg, and
followed that up by securing a deal with German sports manufacturer Adidas,
giving him security in his new home as his residency permit was extended until
2019.
Jatta
does not like to talk about his past, preferring to look to the future, and is
enjoying learning German and settling into his new home.
“I
grew up without parents, the conditions were very bad for me in Africa,” he
told Hamburg’s official website.
“I
knew I had to take this difficult and dangerous way of escape if I had the
chance to have a future. For this I have taken many dangers upon myself. It was
a difficult time, but now I just want to look ahead.”
After
securing his sponsorship deal with Adidas, Jatta provided a local Gambian
refugee side in Bremen with new jerseys and balls. Although he is now
determined to become a German, he has not forgotten his roots.
The
teenager claims Neymar is his “idol”, and showed similar characteristics to the
Brazilian when deployed on the wing towards the end of the 2016-17 season as
Hamburg battled relegation under manager Markus Gisdol.
Jatta
ended the season with six appearances for the senior side, and is aiming for a
more important role next year. There has been speculation of a loan move to
gain first team experience, but the 18-year-old is happy to fight for his place
in the team.
“As
of today, there is no need for talks on a loan,” Aktas told Goal.
Fighting
is what Jatta has done all his life. He has overcome every obstacle. There will
be no need for a loan because this is another battle he is likely to win.
Goal.com