Moses Magnut in his official Dream the Blues Samsung-Chelsea FC snapshot
It was the fourth day of the week long Samsung-Chelsea FC Dream the Blues Finale in London. Moses Magnut has just arrived London barely 6-hours earlier with his guardian, Gabriel Oyediji, the founder of Compassionate Orphanage under whose care Moses, his two brothers and sister live. He was held back by a glitch in his visa process – for some reason Moses’ biometrics data was corrupted and he had to go to British High Commission to re-do it at the last minute.
“It was worth it,” confessed Oyediji. “Seeing Moses on the pitch, training with Torres, Mata, Oscar, and Victor Moses just makes everything we went through to bring Moses here, worth it.”
Moses in hot play in a friendly match between the Dream the Blues Samsung-Chelsea FC and Chelsea FC Youth Team at Chelesa's training camp at Cobham, UK
Moses in hot play in a friendly match between the Dream the Blues Samsung-Chelsea FC and Chelsea FC Youth Team at Chelesa’s training camp at Cobham, UK
Moses’ backstory
“Moses’ parents have been passing through a hard time,” Oyediji hesitates, as if unsure he could trust the public with the information. “His father is under medical management, he has a brain tumour which has devastated the family economically. The mother is living with him in the hospital. It’s distressing what is happening to the Magnuts. It’s just sad.”
The third of four children, Moses who stands a head above his peers, fell in love with football when he was 5 years old and the sport has been the source of physical and emotional strength to him since. On the plane to Lagos, after his experience at the Dream the Blues Camp in London, Moses says, “I am convinced I can be an international footballer someday. I believe I have the strength and the ability that it takes and as Victor Moses told us at the camp, I have to keep improving on my skills.”
Moses being mentored on the field by Chelsea player and Dream the Blues Ambassador, Fernando Torres while team mates Jep Mallam and XXX look on
Moses being mentored on the field by Chelsea player and Dream the Blues Ambassador, Fernando Torres while team mates Jep Mallam (Nigeria) and Kongkrit Lamom-Prom (Thailand) look on
“Moses is a great kid, even as tragedy looms in the family, he performs above average in school academically,” Oyediji said. “He’s also reserved, he doesn’t warm up to people easily.”
“The Dream the Blues experience is highly stimulating. It goes beyond recreation, and exposes kids to a possible career choice,” the reverend with a doctorate explained. “For Moses, Samsung expanded his horizon and given him a new perspective on life, he can dream bigger. He met Victor Moses this week and knows that he can one day be like him, or Mikel Obi, his other football hero.”
“The Dream the Blues campaign is commendable. I wish all our football loving kids – and we have many – could experience this programme,” Oyediji concluded. “I just want to say congratulations to Samsung for coming up with such a programme.”
[READ: Dream the Blues Ambassadors take a pose with Moses and his guardian (from left) Oscar, Fernando Torres, Gabriel Oyediji, founder of Compassionate Orphanage, Moses Magnut, Juan Mata, and Victor Moses
Dream the Blues Ambassadors take a pose with Moses and his guardian (from left) Oscar, Fernando Torres, Gabriel Oyediji, founder of Compassionate Orphanage, Moses Magnut, Juan Mata, and Victor Moses