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Samu Aghehowa, all for his mother

The 20-year-old striker makes his debut in the national team squad and proudly recalls all that his mother went through to give him a better life.
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Wed, 13/11/2024 - 16:48

He is only 20 years old, but his mind is full of amazing experiences. Samu Aghehowa, 193 centimetres tall, born in Melilla, appears for the first time at the Ciudad del Fútbol de Las Rozas and, despite his shyness, he does so with a smile from ear to ear, happy because he has received the prize for a spectacular start to the season with Porto. ‘I'm living the dream, sometimes I still can't believe it,’ he says. ‘I'm very grateful for the opportunity and, above all, I'm eager to learn and to help the team in any way I can’.

He says it with humility, a value that he has plenty of, and gets emotional when he recalls the moment when, last Friday, he found out the news of his call up. ‘They gave me the news and, to be honest, I was very happy. I couldn't believe it. Above all, I was very excited when I remembered all the moments I have gone through to get here, all the efforts. I am very happy’.

He is very happy, but even more so is Edith, his mother. ‘Before I called her, they had already told her. She started crying, I'm very happy for her too. I always say that everything I do, I do it for her, I am very proud of what I am doing and to be able to give it to her’.

His mother left Nigeria in search of a better life for her children and Samu does everything for her. ‘She suffered a lot, all the way from her country to Spain so that my brother and I could have a much better life. A lot of suffering, many hours... I get emotional when I think of that story. Everything I do, as I say, I do it for her. She is the most important woman in my life, she has helped me at all times. She plays a fundamental role, she is the pillar of my life, without her I don't know what I would do’.

This rocky road has made Samu a strong striker with a great personality, who has scored 11 goals for Porto after playing for several teams. ‘Everything I achieve, every achievement, I value it all the more. Often, when things don't work out, you tend to forget what you're achieving. But you have to have that humility and remember the bad moments, and be grateful to all the people who have helped you to achieve what I'm achieving’.

From the Spain squad, he always looked up to the strikers, which is his interest, and he highlights who he has admired since he was a child. ‘I liked David Villa a lot, as well as Diego Costa, a player with a lot of grit and a lot of power. I identify with him. Spain has had some very good players, like Álvaro (Morata) now. I'm very happy to be able to share the dressing room with some of these great players.

Now he only has to pay the confidence that Luis de la Fuente has given him back with hard work and goals. He is excited at his first chance with the senior team and has endless wishes to fulfil. ‘I have many dreams and I talk about them with my family. I hope I can win a title with the national team. I hope to achieve it to help the team and to keep working hard so that many more opportunities come my way’.