NEW Manchester City star Juma Bah has had an unorthodox route to the top of the game.
The centre-back, 18, joined Pep Guardiola‘s side in a £6.75million deal from Real Valladolid in January.
While most of City’s superstars won’t have worked an ordinary job as they came up through various plush academies, Bah understands the value of hard graft away from the pitch.
Hailing from Freetown, Sierra Leone, Bah opened up on his football journey while chatting to the BBC.
“At 4am I carried wood, because my father usually bakes early in the morning,” he revealed.
“I would say he has the best bread in the world. I used to carry the bread to people’s shops.
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“My mum used to sell chicken balls on the street. I would usually help pound the meat and after she took it to sell to people. I’m really happy to help my family.”
Having impressed in his home country, Bah attracted the attention of European scouts – eventually signing for Valladolid last year.
After initially playing within the Spanish side’s youth set-up, Bah was rapidly promoted to the first team.
Following 12 LaLiga appearances, Bah had shown enough potential for City to acquire his services.
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Having joined the Premier League champions, Bah was subsequently sent out on loan to RC Lens – replacing City-bound Abdukodir Khusanov and Tottenham new-boy Kevin Danso.
Having already made a remarkable rise, Bah is far from done.
“It would be a dream for me to play with these great players at Manchester City,” he said.
“I usually play with them on PlayStation. Playing with them in real life will be amazing.
“I’m looking forward to go there and learn, and to have the best coach in the world.
“My aim is to win trophies.”
