By: Muhammed Lamin Drammeh
In The Gambia, where talent overflows on Nawettan pitches but professional dreams often fade due to limited opportunities, Yusupha Darboe, a Kandonku-born defender from Sukuta, dares to defy the odds. With the intelligence to pursue any career, he chose the grueling path of football, battling personal loss and fierce rivals to earn national call-ups. With his eyes set on Europe’s grandest stages, his journey embodies Gambian hope.
Born in Kandonku, Foni, Yusupha’s childhood was a blend of discipline and passion: mornings in school, afternoons at the Daara studying the Qur’an, and evenings chasing a ball with friends. “I’m from a village,” he recalls. “In my early life, I’d go to school early in the morning, and when I closed from school, I’d go to Daara to learn the Qur’an. Then in the evening, I’d play with my mates.”
Moving to Sukuta as a young boy sparked his football journey. “Almost every player in the country started at the Nawettan,” he says of his days with Nema Youths FC in Sukuta’s fierce zonal competitions.
“My experience in the zonals gave me the desire and passion to pursue football as my career.” In Sukuta, where “the park is full to capacity” and fans demand “maximum effort every game” or hurl “motherly insults,” Yusupha forged a “beast mentality.” He laughs, “You have to give max every game to win their hearts.”
Gambia’s football scene brims with talent, but professional pathways are scarce, with limited scouts, weak leagues, and little global exposure. Many players fund their own journeys, and sponsorships are rare. Yusupha’s decision to pursue football over other careers, despite his academic credentials, was a bold gamble. At Waa Banjul FC, he emerged as a top defender, inspired by Sergio Ramos. “My phone is full of his videos, which I keep watching to learn from,” he says. His 2022 record transfer to Fortune FC was hard-won. “I called the president to plead with him to join Fortune,” he recalls. “In less than a week, the agreement was made.” Friends joked about the D50,000 transfer fee: “They started texting, ‘Where’s my share?’”
At Fortune, Yusupha shone as a “smart, athletic, reliable” centre-back with “communication, heading, one-v-one defending, comfortable on the ball—a modern-day centre-back.” He cherishes a 2-1 win over rivals Brikama United. “That was one of my most memorable moments,” he says. His three national call-ups—two Under-23, one Under-20—sparked pride. “Being selected to represent your country among hundreds is an achievement in itself.”
His mother’s illness tested him. “Mentally, it was hard,” he says of 5 a.m. training trips after bedside visits. After her passing, he grew stronger. “There was never a moment I felt like giving up.”
Now at Colley Stars on loan, Yusupha sees it as a marketing opportunity to attract scouts—a rare chance in Gambia’s limited system. “At Fortune, I’m a ball-playing defender; at Colley Stars, every game is 50/50,” he says. Unfazed by doubters, he declares, “I don’t have anything to prove in Gambian football.” His dream? “To play in major European leagues,” he says, “and to don the national jersey—an honour beyond measure.” Inspired by Sadio Mané, he aims to uplift Kandonku and Sukuta, where he returns for Eids. “I feel their struggles,” he says, crediting mentor Alagie Nyabally.
To Gambia’s youth, Yusupha advises: “Ignore the naysayers, and know the reason WHY you are doing it.” His mantra—Believe, Work, and Pray—drives him. “Go hard and be ready for anything,” he’d tell his younger self. In a nation where talent outpaces opportunity, Yusupha Darboe’s journey from Kandonku’s fields to Sukuta’s roaring pitches ignites hope for Gambia’s dreamers.
