Victor Moses: I hope my parents are looking up on me with pride

The journey of the Nigerian winger started with a personal tragedy 10 years ago, as religious riots in his hometown saw Moses lose both his parents in a violent battle. The 11-year-old was told the news as he played football, before fleeing the country as an asylum seeker and reaching England alone. Moses told The […]

The journey of the Nigerian winger started with a personal tragedy 10 years ago, as religious riots in his hometown saw Moses lose both his parents in a violent battle. The 11-year-old was told the news as he played football, before fleeing the country as an asylum seeker and reaching England alone.

Moses told The Guardian: “It has been a long journey [from Nigeria] and I just want to keep strong and work hard for myself, whether it’s football or not football,” Moses says. “I have to thank God for being where I am, it’s like a dream come true and, if I keep working hard, who knows, I’ll probably end up in Barcelona one day.

“Definitely, wherever [my parents] are at the moment, they should be proud of me, looking down being proud.”

Moses’ career has seen him come through the ranks of Crystal Palace’s youth academy after being scouted by the club.

In 2009 he joined Wigan and played in the top tier of English football for the first time. He soon attracted the attention of Chelsea who, after several unsuccessful bids during the summer, finally signed their man in August.

Moses was thrilled to join the reigning champions of Europe, enthusing: “The first training session was unbelievable… seeing JT [John Terry], Ashley Cole, [Fernando] Torres and people like that, it was incredible, kind of crazy,” he said.

Moses also expressed his happiness at playing for the Nigerian national team, despite starting off with England at the youth level. He said: “I played for England Under-16s, 17s, 18s, 19s, 20s and then 21s…then … I just decided to make the decision to play for Nigeria.”