Awer Mabil was born in a refugee camp and learned to play football there. The GC player talks to blue Sport about his moving childhood. In Switzerland, he wants to get the Hoppers back on the road to success.
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- GC player Awer Mabil grew up with his family in a refugee camp in Kenya. From there, Mabil's path led him to Australia, where he launched his football career.
- "I was always happy," Mabil remembers his childhood. Back then, he made footballs out of plastic bags and played with them. He still returns to the refugee camp every now and then to visit the local children.
- The Danish club Midtjylland brought Mabil to Europe at the age of 19. In August 2023, the now 28-year-old moved to GC after other European stops.
Awer Mabil feels at home at Grasshoppers. The 28-year-old winger moved to the record champions last August. He has now played 23 times for the Hoppers, scoring four goals and recording four assists.
Mabil signed his first professional contract with Australian club Adelaide United in 2013. Two years later, he moved to Europe. FC Midtjylland brought the then 19-year-old Australian to Denmark "with big dreams", as Mabil told blue Sport. Five more European stops followed before he landed in Zurich.
"The best childhood" in the refugee camp
Mabil learned to play football in Kenya. "We made balls out of plastic bags and kicked them," he remembers. He was born and grew up in the refugee camp in Kakuma. His parents had to leave South Sudan because of the war. The family later found a new home in Australia.
Mabil did not speak English when he arrived in Australia. He had to learn the language from scratch. However, he quickly met lots of new people playing football, which made the learning process easier.
Mabil still returns to his birthplace time and again. He once surprised the children in the refugee camp with training clothes and balls. Even though the circumstances were not the best, Mabil looks back on "the best childhood". "I was always happy."
Mabil jokes about the city of Zurich and is enthusiastic about the club's project
The winger is also happy in Switzerland. "The city is expensive," he jokes about Zurich. But he loves Switzerland. He is also fascinated by the Hoppers. "The club has a great history." The project of taking the club back to where he was inspires him. "I can imagine staying here for longer."
Mabil played 73 minutes in the opener against Lugano. He has yet to score or provide an assist. With GC, he will face FC Luzern at the Letzigrund on Saturday evening. Both teams will be looking for their first points in the second championship match of the season.
