Kenyan-born South Sudan refugee set to captain Australian soccer team at Olympics

African refugee to skipper Aussie soccer team in Tokyo

JOHANNESBURG, July 22 (ANA) – As Kenyan-born South Sudan refugee Thomas Deng prepares to captain the Australian men’s football team at the Tokyo Olympics, it’s with a sense of responsibility and a message of inspiration he heads into the event.

Deng told Tokyo2020: “I’m representing my community and there’s many children that probably look to me as kind of a role model.

“And I think, maybe, they aspire to do the same and follow the same footsteps as me.

“So, being South Sudanese background and also an Australian, it gives these kids a sense of hope that they can achieve the same dream as well.”

As the 24-year-old hopes to make history, Deng acknowledged the journey he had made to this point.

“It is a massive honour and a privilege to wear the armband and the green-and-gold shirt,” said the former Melbourne Victory player.

“As a kid watching the Socceroos… it’s something that you dream of. And now I’m getting that opportunity, it’s something that I know I can be proud of.

“And, you know, the sky’s the limit. You know that shows you have to believe in yourself, and as long as you work hard, anything is possible.”

Deng was born in Nairobi, Kenya, and was six-years-old when his family fled the Sudanese conflict and received refugee status in Australia.

“My junior career was basically in Adelaide. My first club there was Adelaide Blue Eagles, and then I went through to Melbourne. That’s when I played at Polonia for two seasons and eventually made my move to Green Gully. I had a good experience there. I really enjoyed it.

“I was in and out training then and eventually I got off a two-year deal. It was a proud moment then too. That’s the crazy thing, when you when you think back on everything and you wind the clock back, There’s many things that have happened in my career that I wouldn’t think would have happened. And those are the things that I’m grateful for.” – African News Agency (ANA), Editing by Michael Sherman