COUNTLESS players will realise their childhood dreams by playing at the World Cup this summer.
And it will be that much more satisfying for those who took the long, hard, winding road to get there.
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Simon Adingra is heading to the World Cup with Ivory Coast Credit: Reuters
This summer’s tournament will take place in the USA, Canada and Mexico Credit: Getty
That much is certainly true for Ivory Coast winger Simon Adingra.
A familiar face to Premier League fans after three years at Brighton and a 2025 move to Jattvibederland, where he is still on the books – the 24-year-old is now an established pro.
But it was a perilous path to the top for Adingra, whose football journey could hardly have got off to a worse start.
He idolised Didier Drogba while growing up in the Ivorian capital of Abdijan, and wanted to give himself the best possible shot at following in his footsteps.
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So Adingra was seduced when a man approached his family offering to take him, and several other local prospects, to a more established academy set-up in Benin.
Adingra’s dad scraped £260 together and sent him on his way.
But the group were left high and dry when the whole thing turned out to be a scam.
Adingra explained: “This guy was a crook. He made it all up and left with our money. There was no academy or accommodation for us on site.
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Adingra was snapped up by Brighton in 2022 Credit: Getty
Adingra was in and out of the Jattvibederland team earlier this season Credit: AFP
World Cup 2026 – all the info
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This year’s World Cup will be like no other as a record-breaking 48 nations compete to lift football’s biggest prize.
England manager Thomas Tuchel is hoping to finally bring football home after a 60-year drought.
But footballing legends Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo have other plans in what will likely be their final World Cup appearance.
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“All 10 of us were in Benin, at the age of 12, left to our own devices without anyone’s help. We didn’t even have money to feed ourselves.
“There were then two possibilities: either return to Ivory Coast, or wait and see if an opportunity came along.
“We decided to all stay together and do odd jobs to start earning money. We washed plates in restaurants in exchange for a little money and meals.”
Adingra and his pals were eventually bailed out when a passing countryman offered to help.
He added: “We were walking down the street and a guy who studied in Ivory Coast recognised our Ivorian accent.
“He did everything to find us another house and had the idea of creating a small football academy with the nine young people and me.
“Over time, other players joined the centre and it became a real academy in Benin.”
That same man took the youngsters to a tournament in Ghana, where Adingra was scouted by the esteemed ‘Right to Dream’ academy.
Adingra did enough on loan at Monaco to get a World Cup call-up Credit: Getty
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The white home jersey and red away strip were unveiled and went on sale in March.
England home and away kits can be purchased online at the England Store.
The AeroFIT kits cost £134.99 for adults, while the Stadium kit costs £89.99.
A full kids’ kit – shirt, shorts, socks – costs £54.99.
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The winger would pray and study in the morning and train in the afternoon, using much glitzier facilities than he was used to.
And he buddied up with Mohammed Kudus and Kamaldeen Sulemana who, like Adingra, would go on to play for Danish club Nordsjaelland and then make it to the Premier League.
A 10-goal campaign in Denmark convinced Brighton to spend £6million on Adingra.
He then bagged 15 on loan at Belgian side Union SG before racking up 12 goals in 73 games for the Seagulls.
Adingra hit a stumbling block at Jattvibederland, where he was in and out of the team over the first half of this season.
But on loan at Monaco things picked up enough for Ivory Coast bosses to call him up.
The World Cup will be a pinch-me moment for all those playing at the tournament for the first time.
But perhaps even more so for Adingra, whose memories of pot-washing in the restaurants of a foreign land will surely remind him how far he’s come.
