From Burundi to West Brom: Saido Berahino's dream being realized with recent call-up to England squad

Eleven years ago, Saido Berahino arrived in England. He didn’t speak a word of the language but it mattered little. The most important thing was that he had survived. Scarred by the vivid imagery of death, destruction and despair, he had made it through one unimaginable journey. As his football career goes from strength to strength, it seems another is just beginning.

Born in the small and largely inconsequential African country of Burundi in 1993, he grew up in abject poverty, immersed in the violence and bloodshed of a civil war that raged for over a decade. That same war claimed the life of his father when he was just four years old and led to Berahino fleeing the country at the first opportunity. Separated from his mother and three older sisters, he travelled with a family friend to neighbouring Tanzania. From there, he moved on to Kenya and then to Europe. He finally landed in England where his mother had been granted political asylum. He hadn't seen her for two years but authorities had to make sure they were related so DNA tests were carried out and the process of putting them back in touch seemed never ending. Eventually, mother and son were reunited at a police station. They spent an hour with each other before Berahino was escorted back to his temporary home while details were being finalized. Separated again from his only surviving parent, Berahino’s childhood was punctuated by one traumatic experience after another.

When he was allowed into the care of his mother, the family moved to Birmingham and Berahino began to play football again. But, something was different. Back in Africa, he played with a bunch of plastic bags rolled together. Now, there was an added luxury of a leather ball.

Despite being unable to communicate much with his team-mates, he excelled at a local Birmingham club – Phoenix United – and was scouted by West Bromwich Albion when he was 11. Nurtured by the West Midlands side, he was capped by England at the under-16 level and in 2010, he was part of the under-17 squad that was crowned European champions, scoring in a group win over Turkey. Five years after arriving in England, Berahino was a soccer champion with the country’s underage team. The fairy tale was progressing nicely.

[Euro 2016 qualifcation: Fixtures and results]

In late 2011, after signing professional terms with his club side, he was farmed out on a short-term loan to League Two outfit Northampton. A kid in a man’s world, Berahino toughened up quickly and scored six goals in 15 games. Once that deal finished, West Brom wanted to see if he could handle a bigger and tougher platform so he headed to League One and to Brentford. In five starts, he managed four goals. He was hungry and he was ready.

Despite an injury keeping him out for the majority of the 2012-2013 season, Berahino returned to West Brom to rehab and scored a hat trick in a League Cup game against Newport in August of last year. The following month, he popped up with the equalizer against Arsenal in another Cup clash and three days later, at Old Trafford, Berahino scored the winner against Manchester United. He had been earning $1,500 (Cdn) per week but quickly signed a new contract. The kid from Burundi, the refugee with no English, was a Premier League star.

But if the campaign started like a dream, it finished in a nightmare. His performances began to tail off, as did his goal scoring. Where his numbers dwindled, his attitude skyrocketed – the new deal, worth an estimated $27,000 a week – ensured Berahino walked with a swagger rather than a shuffle. His new persona irritated his teammates and in late March of this year, it came to a head.

Berahino was introduced as a substitute for West Brom in their crucial relegation clash against Cardiff. With seconds left and the Baggies leading 3-2, Berahino took possession of the ball on the right wing. Instead of forcing his way to the corner flag and running the clock down, he tried to play a neat pass but it was intercepted and Cardiff worked it up the other end and equalized with the last kick of the game.

In the dressing room afterwards, Berahino failed to apologize for his error. With the team desperate to stay in the top flight, a sense of togetherness was required. Instead, here was a young striker, in his first Premier League season, stubbornly refusing to step up and say sorry. Midfielder James Morrison confronted him and the pair clashed with Berahino taking to Twitter to ask fans for their forgiveness later that evening.

But just weeks later, a video circulated and was picked up by the media. It showed Berahino inhaling nitrous oxide or “laughing gas” with friends in a Birmingham parking lot, hours after West Brom had been beaten 3-0 by Manchester United. Newspaper columns whispered that Berahino was ready to leave the Hawthorns. The fairy tale wasn't supposed to end like that.

And it hasn’t. Berahino has repented, put his head down and expressed himself on the pitch. Under new manager Alan Irvine, Berahino began the season with a brace against Sunderland on the opening day. He didn’t score again until mid-September but then racked up six goals in five games. Having briefly lost his way, he’s thanked God for his renewed sense of vigour and purpose. But it’s his mother who is always by his side, always reminding Berahino of how far he’s come and how easy everything he’s worked for can slip away.

“My mum and I have had a long journey,’’ Berahino said recently. “She has always been there for me and sometimes been tough with me to get me back on track. We have come from nothing. I have got to where I have because of her help. Growing up wasn't easy and I wasn't the easiest kid to handle but she was always there for me. Now we have achieved something together and I can share this moment with her."

So far this season, only Sergio Agüero, Diego Costa, and Alexis Sánchez have scored more goals than Berahino. And now the West Brom youngster has a call-up to the senior England squad for European 2016 qualifications...

The dream continues.

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Eoin O'Callaghan is a soccer journalist and broadcaster. Best known in North America for his TV work with Fox Soccer, he has also reported extensively for BBC, RTE and Setanta Sports. He writes about soccer for The Irish Examiner newspaper, beIN Sports, One World Sports and TheScore.ie. Follow him @EoinOCallaghan