Soccer ranks as the most popular sport in the world by a considerable margin, with approximately 3.5 billion fans across Europe, Asia, Africa and the Americas. The FIFA World Cup boasted an estimated audience of 5 billion in 2022, making it the most-watched sports event worldwide. Historically regarded as a working-class sport, soccer has evolved into a multibillion-dollar global industry that continues to use its influence to lift aspiring superstars out of poverty.

The Challenges of Rising From Poverty

The path to sports stardom is difficult, with numerous hurdles facing soccer players who grew up in poverty. These include lack of access to health care and education, proximity to crime and volatile environments, and an overall lack of confidence or motivation. The biggest barrier is often financial, due to the costs of joining youth clubs and paying for kits. However, pathways opened by clubs and foundations exist because the industry understands that a young boy playing on the street in an impoverished neighborhood with a stuffed sock can grow up to become a legend like Pelé.

World Cup Players From Humble Beginnings

Forty-eight countries qualified for the 2026 FIFA World Cup, bringing together hundreds of players from various cultural and economic backgrounds. Here are five World Cup soccer players who grew up in poverty.

• Luis Díaz (Colombia): Colombian winger Luis Díaz’s story is emblematic of many soccer players who grew up in poverty. An Indigenous Wayuu child from La Guajira, a Colombian region with a poverty rate of 67.4%, Díaz’s soccer destiny was uncertain due to malnutrition and financial instability. Despite his slender appearance, the 17-year-old Díaz impressed at a local soccer tournament, joining the Atlético Junior youth team. This set him on a path leading to a Premier League championship with Liverpool, a Bundesliga championship with Bayern Munich, and the Copa América Golden Boot award. Díaz has used his wealth to set up a family foundation supporting underdeveloped communities in Colombia and serves as the ambassador for The Passage and Centrepoint.
• Luka Modrić (Croatia): Widely considered one of the greatest midfielders of all time, Luka Modrić’s childhood was tumultuous. Born in Croatia, he was five years old when the Croatian War of Independence erupted, displacing at least 170,000 Croatian civilians. Modrić recalls seeing his grandfather executed by Serb rebels, living without water and electricity for two years, and practicing soccer in hotel parking lots while bombs exploded. Initially rejected by Hajduk Split for being too skinny, Modrić signed with Dinamo Zagreb at age 16 and later played for Tottenham Hotspur and Real Madrid. He has won six UEFA Champions League titles, four La Liga titles, the Ballon d’Or, and led Croatia to second place at the FIFA World Cup. He founded the Luka Modrić scholarship program, offering 100 scholarships to students from disadvantaged backgrounds.
• Endrick Sousa (Brazil):  A 19-year-old striker from Brazil, Endrick has already made a considerable impression. At age 16, he was signed by Real Madrid in a deal worth €60 million, prompting comparisons with Ronaldo and Neymar, who also came from humble beginnings. Though Brazil has made progress with its poverty rate, reaching a historic low of 3%, it remains an inequitable country. Growing up on the outskirts of Brasília, Endrick’s childhood was marked by financial hardship; when his father abandoned the family, his mother became unemployed and homeless. Endrick and his siblings spent six months in an orphanage. With family support, Endrick joined the Palmeiras youth club and became the youngest player to play for their senior team, scoring 11 goals toward their Brasileirão Serie A victory. He is the youngest player in over 50 years to debut for the Brazil national team and was a natural choice for their 2026 FIFA World Cup squad.
• Amad Diallo (Ivory Coast):  Although the poverty rate in Côte d’Ivoire has decreased in recent years, it exceeded 50% when Amad Diallo was a child. In 2008, at age 8, Amad emigrated to Italy with his brother Hamed Traorè, gaining access to education and a better living standard. This move allowed Amad to join local club Boca Barco, leading to signings with Serie A club Atalanta and Premier League club Manchester United. An investigation by Italian authorities into soccer player trafficking brought Amad’s story into question, with allegations that he had entered the country using falsified documents. The trafficking of aspiring soccer players from Africa to Europe remains a documented problem, with estimates suggesting the number of cases could reach as high as 15,000 per year. Amad reached a settlement in the case and has not spoken publicly about it. The 23-year-old was chosen to represent Ivory Coast at the 2026 FIFA World Cup.
• Alphonso Davies (Canada):  Alphonso Davies’ parents were Liberians who fled Monrovia during the Second Liberian Civil War, which displaced around half of the country’s population. They fled to a refugee camp in Ghana, where Alphonso was born and lived for five years. His family emigrated to Canada in 2005, and he obtained Canadian citizenship at age 16. He started playing soccer with Free Footie, a free after-school program, and signed with the Whitecaps FC Academy at age 14. His career skyrocketed to Bayern Munich, where he won the UEFA Champions League and the Golden Boy award. Alphonso scored Canada’s first-ever goal in a FIFA World Cup and is a vocal advocate for refugee support, serving as a Goodwill Ambassador for the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees.

Looking Ahead

These stories show that soccer is more than a business or entertainment; it can be a means of escape for those without other options. These five soccer players who grew up in poverty have ascended beyond their humble beginnings to play at the largest sporting spectacle in the world. They have used the fame and wealth that soccer has brought them to give back, helping others from disadvantaged backgrounds realize their ambitions. Multiple groups, including the UEFA Foundation for Children and the Professional Footballers’ Association, actively work to make such dreams a reality for more people worldwide, inspiring hope and changing lives through soccer.

– Aled Warren

Aled is based in London, UK and focuses on Good News and Politics for The Borgen Project.

Photo: Pixabay