{"id":33116,"date":"2022-10-24T21:09:06","date_gmt":"2022-10-24T21:09:06","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/zambia\/all-news\/from-kafue-to-leicester-dakas-incredible-football-journey"},"modified":"2022-10-24T21:33:49","modified_gmt":"2022-10-24T21:33:49","slug":"from-kafue-to-leicester-dakas-incredible-football-journey","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/zambia\/all-news\/from-kafue-to-leicester-dakas-incredible-football-journey","title":{"rendered":"From Kafue To Leicester \u2013 Daka\u2019s Incredible Football Journey"},"content":{"rendered":"

Africa-Press – Zambia. <\/strong><\/span>Initially from the shallow valleys of Kafue, Zambia, Patson Daka\u2019s football journey was already an extraordinary tale before he arrived in the United Kingdom.<\/p>\n

He was the boy who shouldered the hopes of an entire nation. The youngster who had never seen snow before but swapped searing African heat for a snowstorm in the Eastern Alps to chase his dreams. The man who would lift major trophies in Austrian football, scoring 27 goals in 28 games in a single season. The Zambian icon who became the first Leicester City player to score four goals in a single match for 64 years.<\/p>\n

Around a year-and-a-half ago, Patson was sitting in a Linz hotel room, watching the English FA Cup Final between Chelsea and Leicester. On the eve of RB Salzburg\u2019s Austrian Bundesliga clash with LASK, with roommate and childhood friend Enock Mwepu, Patson watched on as Brendan Rodgers\u2019 men hoisted the famous trophy to the heavens under Wembley\u2019s arch.<\/p>\n

It was a spine-tingling moment for Foxes fans everywhere \u2013 and for the neutrals. It was an occasion which typified Leicester City at its very best \u2013 when quality and talent is fused with togetherness and a family spirit spurred them on to greatness. It was an afternoon which left its mark on Patson Daka too.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt was really an unbelievable moment,\u201d he says, speaking inside the King Power Centre\u2019s dome in Seagrave \u2013 the Club\u2019s training headquarters. \u201cIt felt just so special. It was way before Leicester even came into contact with me. I remember thinking, the way Leicester play, it\u2019s perfect for my playing style. I thought: \u2018I would love one day to play for this club\u2019.\u201d<\/p>\n

Patson can remember when \u201980 or 90 per cent\u2019 of Zambia\u2019s people were willing City to victory in their historic Premier League title triumph five years earlier. He says he was already a Leicester fan before he joined the Club, enchanted by their fairy-tale rise to the top and their determination to stay there.<\/p>\n

Patson was a superstar from a young age in Zambia. \u201cWhen my agent told me that Leicester had contacted us, I had nothing to think about,\u201d he recalls. \u201cI was just like: \u2018Let\u2019s do it!\u2019 From there, we started having meetings with the gaffer, with everyone, and it was an easy decision for me. I thought this is the team that I wanted to play for.\u201d<\/p>\n

Daka instantly endeared himself to the Blue Army with a post on his Instagram which offered an insight into his eagerness to learn more about his new club. It was a picture of the Fearless Foxes book by Jonathan Northcroft, which chronicles City\u2019s Premier League miracle. Because of COVID-19 regulations at the time, the Club\u2019s new striker, though, had to quarantine in another hotel room \u2013 this time in the UK \u2013 before he could start to fully settle in the East Midlands.<\/p>\n

One day, as the countdown to freedom went on, Patson picked up his phone to find a text from none other than Erling Haaland \u2013 his former team-mate at RB Salzburg and the man mountain who is currently tearing up the Premier League in frightening fashion. \u201cErling just sent me a funny message, something about me coming to the UK, where he had been born, and wishing me luck at Leicester City. We laughed about it and, when he was signing for Man City, I texted him, something like: \u2018See you the Premier League!\u2019\u201d<\/p>\n

Our conversation was taking place just after Haaland \u2013 now at Manchester City \u2013 had become the first-ever player in Premier League history to score a hat-trick in three successive home games. \u201cHe\u2019ll break records and records,\u201d Patson says. \u201cHe\u2019s already doing it. He has all the qualities to do whatever he wants to do and to be in life.\u201d<\/p>\n

Even a generational talent like Haaland has spoken glowingly about the man who, back in 2021, was about to become Patson\u2019s new team-mate \u2013 Jamie Vardy. It\u2019s sometimes easy to forget or underestimate the sheer scale of Vardy\u2019s fame around the world. In every corner of the globe, however remote you venture, if you showed someone a picture of City\u2019s No.9, they\u2019ll probably be able to name him… and tell you their favourite goal he\u2019s scored.<\/p>\n

Playing with Vardy was a dream for Daka. \u201cThe way that people see him on TV, it\u2019s very, very different to the way he is in person,\u201d Patson explains. \u201cWhen you get to know him at a personal level, it\u2019s unbelievable. It\u2019s just a joy to play alongside him, to learn from him and also to just share the dressing room with him. There\u2019s never a dull moment with him. Every time you\u2019re around him, it\u2019s just funny things that are happening!\u201d<\/p>\n

Talk of Haaland or Vardy, Austrian titles and FA Cups is a far cry from Patson\u2019s humble beginnings back in Zambia. He says that his childhood was defined by three things \u2013 school, church and family. That list would be swelled to include football when his father, Nathtali, returned from work one day with a pair of new football boots.<\/p>\n

\u201cI think they were Total 90s,\u201d grins Patson. \u201cI was around seven or eight. That was really mind blowing for me. I remember that day so clearly. It was a special day. It was almost the beginning of everything for me.\u201d<\/p>\n

Patson grew up in a town where \u2018there was just so much love\u2019 and, even at a young age, he delighted in bringing joy to the people around him through his football.<\/p>\n

\u201cI was so excited to see how football brought people together, how much joy it brought to people,\u201d he beams. \u201cI wanted to be part of that. I just wanted to be one of the people that gave other people a reason to be together, to smile and just to forget about everything else that\u2019s going on in their lives and just be happy in that moment.\u201d<\/p>\n

Glory in Austria as Daka lifts seven major trophies with RB Salzburg. You\u2019ll often hear strikers talk whimsically about that feeling they get when the ball bugles the net and the crowd leap to their feet. Daka\u2019s no different. After becoming a goal machine back in Zambia, his name has since featured on a LCFC scoresheet 14 times \u2013 88 across his club career and on another nine occasions for Zambia.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe crazy thing about scoring, when you start, there\u2019s just that feeling that you get,\u201d City\u2019s No.20 continues. \u201cEvery time, when you\u2019re going to play a game, you have that feeling: \u2018I\u2019m going to score\u2019. Everyone in the team gets a feeling: \u2018If we give him the ball, he\u2019s going to score\u2019. When you score one, you have that feeling: \u2018I can score two\u2019, \u2018I can score three!\u2019\u201d<\/p>\n

Daka enjoyed \u2013 and endured \u2013 different fortunes across a range of spells and loan moves to the likes of Kafue Celtic, Nchanga Rangers and Power Dynamos in his homeland. His early career presented many hurdles, but each time, Patson was able to leap them.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt was really tough at times,\u201d he says. \u201cI had seasons where I didn\u2019t score enough goals and nobody wanted me. But because I kept the faith in myself and my belief in God, I carried on. Also, the friends that I have, my family, they know what I\u2019m capable of doing. They were there to encourage me to remind me of who I am, and just to support me.\u201d<\/p>\n

After initially only scoring a solitary goal in the first half of the season at Power Dynamos, Daka ended the campaign as top scorer. Things were looking up. Guided by Fre\u0301de\u0301ric Kanoute\u0301, who founded the agency 12 Management, Patson moved to Austrian outfit FC Liefering \u2013 a club with close ties to RB Salzburg. After impressing on an initial one-week trial, he was invited back to Salzburg. A new adventure was only just beginning.<\/p>\n

As Patson explains, he got the call during a tour in Zimbabwe with Zambia\u2019s youth team \u2013 a short while after shining at the U17 Africa Cup of Nations: \u201cWhen I was in camp, I was just in my summer attire, you know, and the coaches said: \u2018You have to travel to Austria now!\u2019<\/p>\n

\u201cI was there to play a friendly game in Zimbabwe. There was no chance to go home or something like that. I had to fly from Zimbabwe to Austria and I found out it was winter, and it was snowing! I used to hear about snow but I didn\u2019t know anything about it. To experience it, it was really, really crazy for me.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt was hard to adapt because also I went there very young, I was homesick. I was thinking about my friends, my family, and it is just like: \u2018How am I going to manage it?\u2019 At the same time, I realised why I was there. That\u2019s what I wanted, what I always dreamed about. I wanted to play in Europe.\u201d The Zambian made history by scoring four goals for the Foxes in Moscow.<\/p>\n

Patson\u2019s \u2018one in a million opportunity\u2019 as he calls it gradually became easier as his talent shone through. His first chance to impress came early on, too, as RB Salzburg\u2019s youth team competed in the U19 UEFA Youth League competition. They\u2019d got to the semi-finals without Daka, but it turns out that they would need him to lift the trophy.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe good part was I didn\u2019t go there as the main striker because there were already men strikers there,\u201d he adds, reflecting on the earliest days in Salzburg. \u201cFor me, it was slow get into the team, to get the experience. I was fortunate enough to join the team in the semi-finals stage! But I wasn\u2019t really like one of the first options.<\/p>\n

\u201cI was waiting for the opportunity. When we were playing Barcelona (in the last-four), we were down by a goal to nil and, in the second half, the coach said: \u2018Go and do whatever you can! Whatever happens, happens!\u2019 I went there, I took my opportunity, I scored the first goal, and then we scored the second goal. We won 2-1 and we went to the final.<\/p>\n

\u201cI was on the bench again in the final and then I was introduced when we were 1-0. I went in, I scored and again we went on to win 2-1 again and we won the Youth League, which was more than I could have wished for. In my career in Europe, it was a really, really good start!\u201d<\/p>\n

It\u2019s perhaps telling that, for all Patson\u2019s achieved, the memories he volunteers to talk about often concern his formative years. Moments which may get overlooked by others. He doesn\u2019t \u2013 as some may do \u2013 underestimate their significance. Indeed, if you ask him for his fondest memory on the international stage with Zambia, he\u2019s eager to stress that he doesn\u2019t believe his greatest moment for the senior Chipolopolo side has come yet.<\/p>\n

The man who has lifted eight senior trophies in his career still points to the U20 Africa Cup of Nations as one of the pinnacles of his entire career \u2013 \u2018The proudest moment of my time for Zambia\u2019.<\/p>\n

It\u2019s not always been simple for Daka in a Zambia shirt. He was thrust into becoming a household name at a tender age, in his mid-teenage years, and that expectation was not necessarily helpful. In England, we can point to countless youngsters who have been subjected to the nation\u2019s glare after breaking through \u2013 an experience which can make break an aspiring footballer\u2019s career. It was similar for Daka too \u2013 but he got through it.<\/p>\n

\u201cAs a young player, when you\u2019re coming up, everyone is excited,\u201d he says. \u201c[Expectation] was really, really too high for me, I would say. It was like they expected me to carry the team and, at that point, I was only 15 or 16, I think. It was really, really, really tough. The Kafue-born striker says he is now fully settled in Leicester.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt was a huge responsibility for me at that point. I\u2019m grateful at the same time that it happened, because it has also played a part in who I am today. I don\u2019t get easily shaken with things that happen because I look back and see I was able to do that and come out of it. I can now stand anything that comes my way.\u201d<\/p>\n

It\u2019s safe to say that the Zambian people \u2013 who today (24 October) toast their national day of independence \u2013 love Patson Daka. You only need to take a fleeting glance at any @LCFC post on social media to find proof of the affection and the respect he commands in his homeland. His stature is so high, even the President of Zambia often sends him messages of congratulations whenever landmarks are achieved \u2013 like joining Leicester City in 2021.<\/p>\n

It was obvious again in arguably his greatest game in a Foxes shirt too, back in November of last year. Now more familiar snow greeted Daka and his new team-mates in Moscow for a crunch UEFA Europa League group stage tie against Russian giants Spartak. COVID-19 restrictions made it practically impossible for English fans to travel \u2013 although some exceptionally determined ones did manage to make the trip.<\/p>\n

A modest away following of 25 was bolstered by a contingent of Zambians in the away end at Otkrytie Bank Arena. Students in Moscow, they took full advantage of a rare opportunity to watch a countryman play in an elite fixture on their doorstep in Russia. What transpired \u2013 as Daka became the first Leicester player to score four goals in a single fixture since 1958 \u2013 was a magical evening both for Daka himself and the away end in Moscow.<\/p>\n

\u201cThat moment was really special,\u201d he smiles. \u201cWe had Leicester people and Zambian people together in that away section. It was a difficult moment for travel and anything, but to just have some fans come, it was more reason for us to give them something to appreciate their efforts. It was crazy, it was cold, and they still made it. It was a special moment, not only for me, but also for the team.\u201d<\/p>\n

Back in the present, Patson is now settled in Leicester \u2013 professionally and personally. He lives locally with his family and he has three goals to his name already in 2022\/23. It\u2019s not been a season even close to the Club\u2019s ambitions yet, but Daka\u2019s unyielding positivity \u2013 combined with City\u2019s encouraging recent form \u2013 bodes well for the future. Daka is convinced another chapter in his remarkable tale will involve Leicester City climbing the Premier League table.<\/p>\n

\u201cFor me, in life, it doesn\u2019t really matter how you start,\u201d he stresses. \u201cIt\u2019s about how you finish. I remember some difficult years for me when I was younger, but you have to work hard to achieve your dreams. The start to the season hasn\u2019t been good, but I\u2019m looking forward to how we\u2019re going to finish. I believe the next time we sit down, maybe in May, we\u2019ll be telling a very, very different story. It\u2019s going to be a happy ending.\u201d<\/p>\n

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

Africa-Press – Zambia. Initially from the shallow valleys of Kafue, Zambia, Patson Daka\u2019s football journey was already an extraordinary tale before he arrived in the United Kingdom. He was the boy who shouldered the hopes of an entire nation. The youngster who had never seen snow before but swapped searing African heat for a snowstorm […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":84,"featured_media":33115,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[2,17,248],"tags":[234,235,233],"class_list":["post-33116","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-all-news","category-sport","category-to-homepage","tag-africa-press","tag-africa-press-zambia","tag-zambia"],"yoast_head":"\nFrom Kafue To Leicester \u2013 Daka\u2019s Incredible Football Journey - Zambia<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Initially from the shallow valleys of Kafue, Zambia, Patson Daka\u2019s football journey was already an extraordinary tale be ...\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/zambia\/all-news\/from-kafue-to-leicester-dakas-incredible-football-journey\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"From Kafue To Leicester \u2013 Daka\u2019s Incredible Football Journey\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Initially from the shallow valleys of Kafue, Zambia, Patson Daka\u2019s football journey was already an extraordinary tale be ...\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/zambia\/all-news\/from-kafue-to-leicester-dakas-incredible-football-journey\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"Zambia\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:publisher\" content=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/AfricaPressTunisiaa\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2022-10-24T21:09:06+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2022-10-24T21:33:49+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/static.africa-press.net\/zambia\/sites\/35\/2022\/10\/postQueueImg_16-635704a103958.jpg\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:width\" content=\"1200\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:height\" content=\"630\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:type\" content=\"image\/jpeg\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"cfeditoren\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"cfeditoren\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"12 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\/\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"Article\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/zambia\/all-news\/from-kafue-to-leicester-dakas-incredible-football-journey#article\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/zambia\/all-news\/from-kafue-to-leicester-dakas-incredible-football-journey\"},\"author\":{\"name\":\"cfeditoren\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/zambia\/#\/schema\/person\/068c7ab4e9634ae78ec5d54ec46598bb\"},\"headline\":\"From Kafue To Leicester \u2013 Daka\u2019s Incredible Football Journey\",\"datePublished\":\"2022-10-24T21:09:06+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2022-10-24T21:33:49+00:00\",\"mainEntityOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/zambia\/all-news\/from-kafue-to-leicester-dakas-incredible-football-journey\"},\"wordCount\":2581,\"commentCount\":0,\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/zambia\/all-news\/from-kafue-to-leicester-dakas-incredible-football-journey#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\/\/static.africa-press.net\/zambia\/sites\/35\/2022\/10\/postQueueImg_16-635704a103958.jpg\",\"keywords\":[\"Africa Press\",\"Africa Press-Zambia\",\"Zambia\"],\"articleSection\":[\"all news\",\"sport\",\"to-homepage\"],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"CommentAction\",\"name\":\"Comment\",\"target\":[\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/zambia\/all-news\/from-kafue-to-leicester-dakas-incredible-football-journey#respond\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/zambia\/all-news\/from-kafue-to-leicester-dakas-incredible-football-journey\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/zambia\/all-news\/from-kafue-to-leicester-dakas-incredible-football-journey\",\"name\":\"From Kafue To Leicester \u2013 Daka\u2019s Incredible Football Journey - Zambia\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/zambia\/#website\"},\"primaryImageOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/zambia\/all-news\/from-kafue-to-leicester-dakas-incredible-football-journey#primaryimage\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/zambia\/all-news\/from-kafue-to-leicester-dakas-incredible-football-journey#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\/\/static.africa-press.net\/zambia\/sites\/35\/2022\/10\/postQueueImg_16-635704a103958.jpg\",\"datePublished\":\"2022-10-24T21:09:06+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2022-10-24T21:33:49+00:00\",\"author\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/zambia\/#\/schema\/person\/068c7ab4e9634ae78ec5d54ec46598bb\"},\"description\":\"Initially from the shallow valleys of Kafue, Zambia, Patson Daka\u2019s football journey was already an extraordinary tale be ...\",\"breadcrumb\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/zambia\/all-news\/from-kafue-to-leicester-dakas-incredible-football-journey#breadcrumb\"},\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"ReadAction\",\"target\":[\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/zambia\/all-news\/from-kafue-to-leicester-dakas-incredible-football-journey\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/zambia\/all-news\/from-kafue-to-leicester-dakas-incredible-football-journey#primaryimage\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/static.africa-press.net\/zambia\/sites\/35\/2022\/10\/postQueueImg_16-635704a103958.jpg\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\/\/static.africa-press.net\/zambia\/sites\/35\/2022\/10\/postQueueImg_16-635704a103958.jpg\",\"width\":1200,\"height\":630,\"caption\":\"From Kafue To Leicester \u2013 Daka\u2019s Incredible Football Journey\"},{\"@type\":\"BreadcrumbList\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/zambia\/all-news\/from-kafue-to-leicester-dakas-incredible-football-journey#breadcrumb\",\"itemListElement\":[{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":1,\"name\":\"Home\",\"item\":\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/zambia\/\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":2,\"name\":\"From Kafue To Leicester \u2013 Daka\u2019s Incredible Football Journey\"}]},{\"@type\":\"WebSite\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/zambia\/#website\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/zambia\/\",\"name\":\"Zambia\",\"description\":\"Just another Africa News Agency Sites site\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"SearchAction\",\"target\":{\"@type\":\"EntryPoint\",\"urlTemplate\":\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/zambia\/?s={search_term_string}\"},\"query-input\":{\"@type\":\"PropertyValueSpecification\",\"valueRequired\":true,\"valueName\":\"search_term_string\"}}],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\"},{\"@type\":\"Person\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/zambia\/#\/schema\/person\/068c7ab4e9634ae78ec5d54ec46598bb\",\"name\":\"cfeditoren\",\"image\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/zambia\/#\/schema\/person\/image\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/7417380fa9e23b5c57fdbfdaf3fdf92ee478f759a084addda5faa3732853e74a?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/7417380fa9e23b5c57fdbfdaf3fdf92ee478f759a084addda5faa3732853e74a?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"caption\":\"cfeditoren\"}}]}<\/script>\n<!-- \/ Yoast SEO Premium plugin. -->","yoast_head_json":{"title":"From Kafue To Leicester \u2013 Daka\u2019s Incredible Football Journey - Zambia","description":"Initially from the shallow valleys of Kafue, Zambia, Patson Daka\u2019s football journey was already an extraordinary tale be ...","robots":{"index":"index","follow":"follow","max-snippet":"max-snippet:-1","max-image-preview":"max-image-preview:large","max-video-preview":"max-video-preview:-1"},"canonical":"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/zambia\/all-news\/from-kafue-to-leicester-dakas-incredible-football-journey","og_locale":"en_US","og_type":"article","og_title":"From Kafue To Leicester \u2013 Daka\u2019s Incredible Football Journey","og_description":"Initially from the shallow valleys of Kafue, Zambia, Patson Daka\u2019s football journey was already an extraordinary tale be ...","og_url":"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/zambia\/all-news\/from-kafue-to-leicester-dakas-incredible-football-journey","og_site_name":"Zambia","article_publisher":"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/AfricaPressTunisiaa","article_published_time":"2022-10-24T21:09:06+00:00","article_modified_time":"2022-10-24T21:33:49+00:00","og_image":[{"width":1200,"height":630,"url":"https:\/\/static.africa-press.net\/zambia\/sites\/35\/2022\/10\/postQueueImg_16-635704a103958.jpg","type":"image\/jpeg"}],"author":"cfeditoren","twitter_card":"summary_large_image","twitter_misc":{"Written by":"cfeditoren","Est. reading time":"12 minutes"},"schema":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":"Article","@id":"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/zambia\/all-news\/from-kafue-to-leicester-dakas-incredible-football-journey#article","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/zambia\/all-news\/from-kafue-to-leicester-dakas-incredible-football-journey"},"author":{"name":"cfeditoren","@id":"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/zambia\/#\/schema\/person\/068c7ab4e9634ae78ec5d54ec46598bb"},"headline":"From Kafue To Leicester \u2013 Daka\u2019s Incredible Football Journey","datePublished":"2022-10-24T21:09:06+00:00","dateModified":"2022-10-24T21:33:49+00:00","mainEntityOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/zambia\/all-news\/from-kafue-to-leicester-dakas-incredible-football-journey"},"wordCount":2581,"commentCount":0,"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/zambia\/all-news\/from-kafue-to-leicester-dakas-incredible-football-journey#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/static.africa-press.net\/zambia\/sites\/35\/2022\/10\/postQueueImg_16-635704a103958.jpg","keywords":["Africa Press","Africa Press-Zambia","Zambia"],"articleSection":["all news","sport","to-homepage"],"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"CommentAction","name":"Comment","target":["https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/zambia\/all-news\/from-kafue-to-leicester-dakas-incredible-football-journey#respond"]}]},{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/zambia\/all-news\/from-kafue-to-leicester-dakas-incredible-football-journey","url":"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/zambia\/all-news\/from-kafue-to-leicester-dakas-incredible-football-journey","name":"From Kafue To Leicester \u2013 Daka\u2019s Incredible Football Journey - Zambia","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/zambia\/#website"},"primaryImageOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/zambia\/all-news\/from-kafue-to-leicester-dakas-incredible-football-journey#primaryimage"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/zambia\/all-news\/from-kafue-to-leicester-dakas-incredible-football-journey#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/static.africa-press.net\/zambia\/sites\/35\/2022\/10\/postQueueImg_16-635704a103958.jpg","datePublished":"2022-10-24T21:09:06+00:00","dateModified":"2022-10-24T21:33:49+00:00","author":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/zambia\/#\/schema\/person\/068c7ab4e9634ae78ec5d54ec46598bb"},"description":"Initially from the shallow valleys of Kafue, Zambia, Patson Daka\u2019s football journey was already an extraordinary tale be ...","breadcrumb":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/zambia\/all-news\/from-kafue-to-leicester-dakas-incredible-football-journey#breadcrumb"},"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"ReadAction","target":["https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/zambia\/all-news\/from-kafue-to-leicester-dakas-incredible-football-journey"]}]},{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/zambia\/all-news\/from-kafue-to-leicester-dakas-incredible-football-journey#primaryimage","url":"https:\/\/static.africa-press.net\/zambia\/sites\/35\/2022\/10\/postQueueImg_16-635704a103958.jpg","contentUrl":"https:\/\/static.africa-press.net\/zambia\/sites\/35\/2022\/10\/postQueueImg_16-635704a103958.jpg","width":1200,"height":630,"caption":"From Kafue To Leicester \u2013 Daka\u2019s Incredible Football Journey"},{"@type":"BreadcrumbList","@id":"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/zambia\/all-news\/from-kafue-to-leicester-dakas-incredible-football-journey#breadcrumb","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"Home","item":"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/zambia\/"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"From Kafue To Leicester \u2013 Daka\u2019s Incredible Football Journey"}]},{"@type":"WebSite","@id":"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/zambia\/#website","url":"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/zambia\/","name":"Zambia","description":"Just another Africa News Agency Sites site","potentialAction":[{"@type":"SearchAction","target":{"@type":"EntryPoint","urlTemplate":"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/zambia\/?s={search_term_string}"},"query-input":{"@type":"PropertyValueSpecification","valueRequired":true,"valueName":"search_term_string"}}],"inLanguage":"en-US"},{"@type":"Person","@id":"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/zambia\/#\/schema\/person\/068c7ab4e9634ae78ec5d54ec46598bb","name":"cfeditoren","image":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/zambia\/#\/schema\/person\/image\/","url":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/7417380fa9e23b5c57fdbfdaf3fdf92ee478f759a084addda5faa3732853e74a?s=96&d=mm&r=g","contentUrl":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/7417380fa9e23b5c57fdbfdaf3fdf92ee478f759a084addda5faa3732853e74a?s=96&d=mm&r=g","caption":"cfeditoren"}}]}},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/zambia\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/33116","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/zambia\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/zambia\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/zambia\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/84"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/zambia\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=33116"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/zambia\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/33116\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/zambia\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/33115"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/zambia\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=33116"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/zambia\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=33116"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/zambia\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=33116"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}