Musa Juwara (born 26 December 2001) is a Gambian professional footballer who plays as a striker for Serie A club Bologna. But few, if any, can claim to have been through as much as Bologna’s Musa Juwara. Juwara and his new legal guardians eventually acquired legal support and were granted permission to make the transfer to join Chievo in November 2017. Juwara, who can play through the middle or out wide, where he appears most comfortable, scored eight goals in 15 games in his 2017-18 debut season with Chievo.The plan was to slot him into their under-19 side and develop him as one for the future. At the age of 18, the winger already has a remarkable story to tell of triumph against the odds. This is a dream for me and a day I’ll remember for the rest of my life.’A couple of years with Cheivo was enough to convince frugal Bologna to make a move for Juwara last summer, estimated to be in the region of €500,000 (£452,000).Thrown on by Mihajlovic inside the intimidating theatre that is the San Siro on 65 minutes in place of Nicola Sansone, Juwara would have been within his rights to have been overwhelmed.Juwara made his Serie A debut off the bench against AS Roma in February before the shutdown for Covid-19 and went one further with a telling contribution against Inter.Given everything Juwara has been through, few could begrudge him his moment in the spotlight. But the young attacker also managed to manage alone on a dark journey which led him in seven months from Gambia to Messina, Sicily, via Senegal, Mali, Burkina Faso, Niger and Libya. So, it was during this time of research that I came to an interesting player making the news in Italy; his name is Musa Juwara playing in Bologna currently. An 18-year-old Gambian refugee, he’s a forward left-winger in the Bologna FC-1909. But as Juwara as shown, he seems to thrive when the odds are stacked against him.Three weeks ago marked the fourth anniversary of Juwara’s solo voyage from his native Gambia to the coast of Sicily.Virtus Avigliano, an amateur team operating out of Avigliano, a nearby town in the province of Potenza, gave Juwara a chance to take to the pitch again as he continued to chase his top-flight dream.The Italian Football Federation [FIGC] but the buffers on Juwara’s decision to join ChievoVerona.In the colours of Torino, Juwara really caught the eye at prominent youth tournament Torneo di Viareggio in Tuscany in 2019 with three goals in three games and suddenly, interest spiked in a player no-one in Italy was remotely aware of three years prior. But as Juwara as shown, he seems to thrive when the odds are stacked against him. Team-mate Musa Barrow swapped shirts with Juwara at the end and celebrated on InstagramHis form in the youth set-up saw Bologna boss Sinisa Mihajlovic bring Juwara into the first-team set-up from October and the Gambian has not looked back since.Juwara made his Serie A debut off the bench against AS Roma in February before the shutdown for Covid-19 and went one further with a telling contribution against Inter. ‘I really want to thank the coach for showing me that trust against Inter,’ Juwara said. ‘I’m really happy to score my first goal, which I want to dedicate to my family and all those who’ve helped me on my journey.He came off the bench in a 0-0 draw with Frosinone Calcio. With Juwara leaving home unaccompanied and still the age of a child, the team’s coach, Vitantonio Summa, acted as the Gambian’s legal guardian.
Musa Juwara scored his first Serie A goal as Bologna beat Inter Milan on Sunday The 18-year-old’s story is one of risk, adversity and reward to reach that moment He fled Gambia by boat in 2016 as he sought better opportunities over in Italy The coach of amateur team Virtus Avigliano later became his legal guardian The journey, as it was four years ago, is only just beginning for him.The 18-year-old screamed out in celebration after netting the equaliser against Inter MilanJuwara’s story, which has been pushed into mainstream discourse following his first goal in Serie A on Sunday as Bologna beat Inter Milan, is one of a treacherous journey across the Mediterranean, a heartwarming adoption and a bitter legal battle that threatened his chance to play football in Italy.‘Believe in yourself and live everything in the hands of God,’ it reads. There have been people who helped him. The pair’s close relationship on and off the pitch eventually saw Summa and his wife Loredana Bruno become the winger’s custodial parents. He went through an amateur club as his road to his goal at San Siro was not short of adversityThree weeks ago marked the fourth anniversary of Juwara’s solo voyage from his native Gambia to the coast of Sicily. The reason given by FIGC was that the federation’s new anti-exploitation rules for immigrants to the country prevented a young player being acquired. Musa Juwara’s incredible story is all the talk in Italy after his first goal in Serie A on SundayJuwara, now 18, never needs to look too far from his bio on Instagram to find peace in adversity of which more was to follow after his adoption by his amateur coach. Juwara was said to have been left ‘depressed’ at the situation given he was unable to grasp and understand the red tape that was preventing him from joining a club that desperately wanted to sign him. But he did not struggle in his formative years just to freeze on the grandest stage and less than 10 minutes after being introduced he wheeled off in celebration with the equalising goal. Given everything Juwara has been through, few could begrudge him his moment in the spotlight. Club career Early career. But for the youngster, he was now in a place brimming with opportunity. The 18-year-old screamed out in celebration after netting the equaliser against Inter MilanThere is something Arnold Schwarzenegger once said that resonates with few people better than it does with Musa Juwara. ‘The coach deserves the praise for this win.