{"id":77330,"date":"2025-04-17T16:18:36","date_gmt":"2025-04-17T16:18:36","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/gambia\/uncategorized\/the-yankuba-minteh-story-from-the-gambia-to-the-premier-league"},"modified":"2025-04-17T16:18:36","modified_gmt":"2025-04-17T16:18:36","slug":"the-yankuba-minteh-story-from-the-gambia-to-the-premier-league","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/gambia\/all-news\/the-yankuba-minteh-story-from-the-gambia-to-the-premier-league","title":{"rendered":"THE YANKUBA MINTEH STORY \u2013 FROM THE GAMBIA TO THE PREMIER LEAGUE"},"content":{"rendered":"

Africa-Press – Gambia. <\/strong><\/span>From Serekunda to Brighton, Yankuba Minteh describes his journey to the top, driven by a promise to improve his family\u2019s quality of life.<\/b><\/p>\n

Just four years ago, Yankuba Minteh was playing top-flight football in The Gambia, living with his parents and sleeping on their floor, squeezed beside his seven siblings in Serekunda.<\/p>\n

Serekunda is the largest city in The Gambia, located just at eight miles south west of the capital, Banjul.<\/p>\n

It is named after \u201cSayer Jobe\u201d, a Senegalese settler, with \u201ckunda\u201d meaning \u201chome\u201d in Mandinka (a language mainly spoken in West African countries such as The Gambia, Senegal and Guinea).<\/p>\n

Nowadays, Serekunda is known for being the country\u2019s main urban hub, having a central role for trade, transport and culture.<\/p>\n

Fast forward to today and the 20-year-old is one of the Premier League\u2019s brightest emerging stars.<\/p>\n

But behind the electric winger we see lighting up the pitch each weekend for Brighton & Hove Albion, is a young man who has fought tooth and nail to give his family a better life.<\/p>\n

\u201cEveryone saw him as a talented kid from a very young age,\u201d recalls Abdou Touray, Minteh\u2019s childhood coach in the video \u201cHomemade\u201d, which tracks Minteh\u2019s journey from his Gambian roots to the global stage. \u201cHis success in football today doesn\u2019t surprise anyone.\u201d<\/p>\n

Still, the story of rising talent is about far more than natural ability. It\u2019s a story of unshakable belief. In the emotional video, Minteh opens up about the hardships behind the dream.<\/p>\n

\u201cI just kept believing in myself,\u201d Minteh says. \u201cI trained three times a day, every single day. It was really hard.\u201d<\/p>\n

Moving away from home<\/p>\n

While laying the foundations of a future in European football, Minteh was also dealing with tough living conditions. At just 16, he took a life-altering leap, leaving the African continent to chase his dream abroad, going to Denmark.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt was difficult, being so young and without your parents,\u201d he says. \u201cYou\u2019re always around them, and then suddenly, you\u2019re on your own. But my mentality has always been, \u2018I must win.\u2019 That\u2019s all I had in my head.\u201d<\/p>\n

In October 2024, against Tottenham Hotspur, Minteh scored his first Premier League goal. It was a symbol of every early morning and every ounce of effort finally paying off.<\/p>\n

\u201cI felt so happy, but emotional too,\u201d says Mustapha, Yankuba\u2019s brother. \u201cOur mum was crying. She\u2019s proud of him.\u201d<\/p>\n

That pride is deeply rooted. From the start, his mother, Jassey, has been his greatest motivation.<\/p>\n

\u201cHe used to tell me he would become a footballer, and that my struggles as a market trader would end,\u201d she recalls.<\/p>\n

Yankuba kept that promise. He relocated his family to a better home, a moment filled with emotion for his mother, who fought back tears of joy as she reflected on how far they\u2019ve come.<\/p>\n

A national hero<\/p>\n

Today, Minteh isn\u2019t just a star in his family, he\u2019s a national hero in The Gambia. Children wear Brighton shirts with his name on the back, dreaming of following in his footsteps and lifting their own families out of hardship.<\/p>\n

When he heard his mother speak about everything she had endured, Minteh couldn\u2019t hold back his tears.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhenever I see my mum cry, I get emotional. Knowing how she lived, the sacrifices she made, it\u2019s just crazy.\u201d<\/p>\n

As his journey in English football continues, Minteh\u2019s story reminds us that talent can start a career, but love, sacrifice and resilience are what truly shape greatness.<\/p>\n

For More News And Analysis About Gambia<\/span> Follow Africa-Press<\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Africa-Press – Gambia. From Serekunda to Brighton, Yankuba Minteh describes his journey to the top, driven by a promise to improve his family\u2019s quality of life. Just four years ago, Yankuba Minteh was playing top-flight football in The Gambia, living with his parents and sleeping on their floor, squeezed beside his seven siblings in Serekunda. 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