Growing up in Bujumbura, the largest city in Burundi, Youssouf Ndayishimiye always hoped that football would prove to be his route out of “unimaginable poverty”.
After becoming the most expensive player in his country’s history when he joined Nice in 2023 for a reported €11.5m ($13m, £9.75m), the 26-year-old is certainly a world away from a childhood which included often going without food and lacking basic necessities.
“I saw how much my mother loved us – but was unable to provide for us,” he told BBC Great Lakes when recalling his early years.
“I felt I had to work tirelessly so as to lift my family out of this poverty. I had a clear vision for my life.”
Bujumbura, located on the north-eastern shore of Lake Tanganyika, is the commercial capital of a nation which is one of the world’s poorest in terms of GDP per capita, according to the World Bank.
Born in the Buyenzi area of the city, Ndayishimiye is the eldest of three siblings and has another five half-siblings. His family later moved to the “dumpsite neighbourhood” of Buterere.
His skills on a football pitch helped him stand out even if, on occasion, he had to train barefoot.
When bigger clubs came calling, he would even have to deal with bouts of jealousy from his peers.
“One day I had to borrow boots from a friend when a second division club, Les Lierres, had agreed to sign me,” he said.
“I was devastated when he refused to lend me the boots [for a trial], but I didn’t give up.”
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