Necaxa's Sylla fled Guinea as a refugee. Now he's living 'Mexican dream'

Ibrahime Sylla is 1 of astir 120,000 radical who sought asylum successful Mexico successful 2022. His travel began erstwhile helium fled persecution successful the westbound African state of Guinea, and it ended with him becoming a shot subordinate for Liga MX nine Necaxa.

While inactive a teen helium traveled done 10 countries, crossed the distant and inhospitable Darien Gap, and arrived astatine what helium calls his "Mexican dream." In the metropolis Aguascalientes, helium is known arsenic "the happiest antheral successful the world."

Football has been a portion of Sylla's beingness since childhood. He kicked a shot against the walls of his location to instrumentality his caput disconnected the societal problems successful his country, which kept him from playing outside.

Sylla's beingness changed the time helium near his location to hole a computer, which helium did to enactment his parent and sisters financially. His parent warned him that being connected the streets was dangerous. Disputes betwixt the constabulary and assorted taste groups caused a caller question of unit successful the superior metropolis of Conakry, wherever a subject coup d'etat had overthrown the authorities successful 2021. The teen successfully completed his task, but upon returning location helium recovered himself caught successful a confrontation, with threats that pushed him to permission his country.

"They told maine that if they recovered me, they would bash thing atrocious to me, that they would termination me," Sylla told ESPN. "From that moment, everything became complicated. I couldn't spell out, and it was hard to spell to work. I'd spell out, and suddenly, 1 oregon 2 radical would travel me. It was unsafe for me."

Sylla near Guinea astatine 17 years of age. On the nighttime of Feb. 25, 2022 a household acquaintance offered to instrumentality him to Brazil to flight Conakry. With a backpack holding clothes, idiosyncratic documents and a phone, helium took a formation that stopped successful Turkey earlier completing the travel to South America. He lone stayed for a fewer days due to the fact that of the distrust helium felt from the idiosyncratic who received him upon his arrival, who showed him pictures of weapons. "It made maine deliberation that possibly helium was besides present to decorativeness maine off," Sylla said.

On his 4th time successful Brazil, aft playing soccer, helium met a radical of 5 radical who offered to fto him articulation them connected their travel to the United States, nether the information that helium carried everyone's backpacks. In return, they would wage for his lodging and nutrient connected their roadworthy to the "American dream." He accepted the deal.

With 5 people's bags, positive his own, Sylla began his month-long travel northbound done the Americas. After agelong walks and autobus rides, they crossed the borderline into Bolivia, passed done Peru and Ecuador, and reached Colombia. There they faced the astir utmost conditions of the travel erstwhile they encountered the Darien Gap. With its heavy jungle, mountains and utmost weather, the country serves arsenic a earthy obstruction for anyone trying to transverse into Panama and Central America.

According to figures from the International Organization for Migration (IOM), 250,000 migrants attempted to transverse the Darien Gap successful 2022. More than 10% of them were unaccompanied minors, similar Sylla.

"There came a constituent wherever I saw a tent, went in, turned around, and saw an abandoned child, dead. That traumatized maine a lot," Sylla said. "Every clip I walked, I thought I was going to die. So, erstwhile that thought deed me, it made maine suffer the tendency to continue."

In the jungle, Sylla climbed a twelve mountains portion carrying each of the. On the past highest helium reached, helium had a turning point. Exhausted, helium froze, his fingers hardly holding onto the rocks. His imaginativeness blurred, his proceeding became muffled, and helium thought astir letting go. But a pat connected the backmost from 1 of his companions urged him to decorativeness the mission.

"I mightiness arsenic good wantonness it and autumn here," helium said. "If I die, it's fine, but I can't, I can't spell on. I felt precise different, and I thought possibly it was a motion of death."

After passing done Panama and Costa Rica, Sylla felt symptom successful his legs that made it intolerable to proceed carrying the dense load. When they reached Nicaragua, 1 of his radical offered help. Without truthful overmuch weight, helium walked done Honduras and Guatemala until helium yet acceptable ft successful Mexico connected April 1, 2022. There, helium decided to portion ways with the group, not proceed his travel to the United States, and alternatively enactment successful Mexico.

"For me, it became a Mexican imagination alternatively of an American dream," helium said.

According to the Mexican Commission for Refugee Assistance (COMAR), Mexico received 119,078 asylum requests successful 2022, but little than a 4th (28,351) were accepted. With the enactment of UNHCR, the UN Refugee Agency, Sylla was accepted and helium was transferred to Mexicali, and aboriginal to Tijuana.

"One of the main rights that indispensable beryllium upheld is non-refoulement, the close not to nonstop backmost a kid due to the fact that you cognize they're astatine hazard successful their location country," Paola Monroy, caput of the UNHCR bureau successful Bajío, told ESPN.

In Tijuana, Sylla settled astatine a structure for migrant minors astatine the YMCA, and a opus by Colombian vocalist Maluma helped him to larn Spanish. He got utilized to the spicy food; his favourite dishes are greenish enchiladas and quesadillas.

He was soon playing shot again, and earned a proceedings with Xolos de Tijuana, though helium didn't marque the cut. Moisés Lievano, portion of the UNHCR squad successful Aguascalientes, arranged a closed proceedings with Necaxa which was coordinated by Edmundo Soto, the club's scouting coordinator. After an hour, they had seen capable to bring him into their younker system.

Sylla, who tin play arsenic a winger oregon a fullback, is grooming with Necaxa's under-23 squad and plays for a non-professional third-division nine portion helium waits for the lengthy process of obtaining his registration with Liga MX to beryllium finalized. Necaxa players are amazed that, contempt the hardships helium faced successful his puerility and travel to Mexico, Sylla jokes and spreads happiness among everyone helium meets whether it's Alberto Clark, the manager of shot oregon José Hanan, Necaxa's sporting director.

"Wherever Ibrahime goes, helium spreads that bully energy, that bully vibe," Clark told ESPN. "He's a feline loved by everyone astatine the club."

Sylla works arsenic a information introduction clerk to enactment himself successful Aguascalientes. He's astir to decorativeness precocious schoolhouse and plans to survey a grade related to video games oregon cybersecurity. He adjacent dedicates his clip to creating a video crippled based connected hide-and-seek and an app to assistance carnal trainers.

At 1 point, Sylla thought helium would ne'er grin again, but helium is capable to present successful Mexico, his 2nd home. "I ever telephone my beingness successful Mexico my rebirth, similar being calved again," helium said, with a smile.

Editors note: This nonfiction is simply a translated mentation of the 1 archetypal published by ESPN Mexico connected April 22, 2025.