The Australian international who walked out of the refugee camp marched forward with a beautiful heart and dreams.

Arbol Mabire, 23, comes from a family in South Sudan, but he was born in a Kenyan refugee camp. When he was a child, hunger and crowding were the problems he and his family faced every day. Due to a humanitarian program, his family was taken in by the Australian government in 2006, but before he became a professional player, he lived in the shadow of racial discrimination.

Fortunately, everything is in the past. In Australia's 4-0 victory over Kuwait last June, 10, Mabire scored for the first time on behalf of the Kangaroo Corps. In the second round of the Asian Cup group match, he scored another goal to help Australia beat Palestine 3-0.

From 65438 to 0994, Mabire's parents were forced to flee to Kenya because of the Sudan War. A year later, Mabire was born in a refugee camp in Kakuma, a city in northwest Kenya.

Kakuma refugee camp was established by UNHCR in 199 1 year, originally to accommodate 12000 minors who lost their loved ones due to the Sudan war. By 1993, the refugee camp had accommodated about 2 1000 refugees, of whom 1000 were children. Because the city is located near the borders of Uganda, South Sudan and Ethiopia, the number of refugees accommodated is increasing, and the number of refugee camps has reached 6.5438+0.8 million, of which about 60% are South Sudanese or descendants of South Sudan. You know, Lodwar, the nearest big city in Kakuma, has a total population of less than 50,000.

"We built a hut with mud, which is about the size of the bedroom of an ordinary house in the western world." Mabire recalled.

"But you know that's not your home. There are four of us-me, my mother, my brother and my sister (Mabire's father died in the war in South Sudan). We receive food from the United Nations every two weeks. "

"Everyone can get 1 kg of rice, so our family can get 4 kg of rice and 3 kg of beans. But we can only eat a little every day. "

"We only eat one meal a day, that is, dinner. There is no breakfast or lunch, so try to make it to dinner time, so you will cherish the meal very much. "

Ma Birei has been playing football with friends in the refugee camp since he was five years old, "because there is nothing else to do".

"I like playing football. This is the only thing that can keep me out of trouble, "said Mabire. "I am most worried about Manchester United, but because there is only one TV set nearby, you have to walk for two hours and pay 1 USD to watch it."

"If you can't go, let your friends tell you the result of the game."

In 2006, his life changed. He and his family moved as refugees to Adelaide, the capital of southern Australia. Shortly after arriving in this strange environment, Mabire began to play football.

"I thought,' Great, this is my chance. If I train hard, anything can happen and I can pursue my dream. This is the starting point of the dream. "

As a strong-willed and extremely fast winger, Mabire's talent has attracted the attention of South Australia National Training Center. The center is operated by the South Australian Football Association and awards scholarships to athletes who have the potential to represent Australia every year. 20 1 1, Mabire won the "Player of the Year Award" for his outstanding performance.

/kloc-at the age of 0/6, Marbire was signed by Adelaide United. 201365438+1October1year, only 17 years old, with a weekly salary of only about $50, made his debut in the glorious match between Adelaide United and Perth, which also made him the second youngest player in the history of the Australian Super League.

Like all young players, Mabire got few chances at first. Fortunately, then coach johann koss Mina was happy to give young players a chance.

In the second season of his career, Mabire got a professional contract with an annual salary of 40 thousand dollars. Ma Birei scored his first career goal in the 1-2 loss to Wellington Phoenix. At the end of the season, he also won the Australian Football Association Cup with the team. With his outstanding personal performance, Mabire won the U-20 Player of the Year Award from the Australian Football Association.

However, not all the changes in Mabire's life are good. In Australia, he suffered racial discrimination for the first time, but he didn't think Australia was a "place where racism spread".

"I have faced it many times," he said. "When I was 16, a neighbor hit me when I went home once." He said. "The first thing I did was close the door and let my brother and sister hide. When I closed the door, I said, "Go away." They kept saying, "Go back to your country!" "

"In addition, you will experience similar things in your daily life. For example, if you walk on the road, someone will honk in the car and say something unpleasant. This is normal. "

Nevertheless, he said he was proud to play for the Australian team. "I play for Australia because this country has given me and my family a second life." He said.

"I don't think Australia is a racist country. Some people are racist, but this is a country that belongs to everyone. Australia is a part of my life because I have lived there for half my life. I call it home, so I am proud to represent Australia. "

20 15 1, Marbire went to Ajax, the Dutch giants, for a trial training, but failed to stay. In July of the same year, he was transferred to the Danish team, China and Japan, with the highest price of 654.38 Australian dollars +0.3 million Australian dollars. At the beginning of joining, Mabire only lived on loan. He was loaned to another Danish super team Espoo and Portuguese super team Ferreira. In the end, with the excellent performance during the loan period, Marbire returned to the team in the 20 17/ 18 season and later became the main force of the team.

20 18 Russia World Cup qualifier play-off, Mabire was called by Kangaroo Corps for the first time, but failed to play. 201810/6 He finally appeared in a friendly match and scored a goal in the 88th minute.

"The reaction from the outside world was amazing," said Marbire, who even received a congratulatory message from one of his idols, the famous Manchester United player Patrice Evra.

"I grew up watching Evra play for Manchester United," he said. "Being praised by these top stars shows that I am on the right path, but I still need to continue to work hard."

20 14, Mabire set up his own foundation-barefoot to boots (from barefoot to boots). The original purpose was to provide football shoes for children in Kakuma refugee camp. Four years later, the main purpose of the foundation is to improve the living conditions of young African refugees. It has the support of Qantas, the Australian Football Association, UNHCR, UNICEF and the Australian government.

"I have family in South Sudan and Kenya. That's my home, my roots and my parents' hometown, so I still love it, but it's still not safe. I hope everything will be all right. "

"I will return to the refugee camp regularly and donate sports shoes, football equipment and medical equipment to the refugees there. If I have a two-week holiday, I will spend a week there and then spend a week with my family. "

"(living there) is really difficult, but I am grateful for that time, and I will be grateful for a lifetime."

"Those days made me understand: cherish the good times and never give up your dreams." Mabire regretted it.