Moses reflects on long road to Chelsea

Chelsea winger Victor Moses says his parents would be proud of his success after his 11 million-euro move from Wigan during the transfer window.

The Nigerian winger endured a personal tragedy 10 years ago, as religious riots in his hometown saw Moses lose both his parents in a violent battle. The 11-year-old was told the news as he played football, before fleeing the country as an asylum seeker and reaching England alone.

“It has been a long journey (from Nigeria) and I just want to keep strong and work hard for myself, whether it’s football or not football,” Moses told The Guardian.

“I have to thank God for being where I am, it’s like a dream come true and, if I keep working hard, who knows, I’ll probably end up in Barcelona one day.

“Definitely, wherever (my parents) are at the moment, they should be proud of me, looking down being proud.”

Moses’ career has seen him come through the ranks of Crystal Palace’s youth academy after being scouted by the club.

In 2009 he joined Wigan and played in the top tier of English football for the first time. He soon attracted the attention of Chelsea who, after several unsuccessful bids, finally signed their man in August.

“The first training session was unbelievable – seeing JT (John Terry), Ashley Cole, (Fernando) Torres and people like that, it was incredible, kind of crazy,” Moses said.

“And the Super Cup, when I was watching it, I was thinking to myself: ‘I can’t actually believe that I’m here.’ I didn’t get on but I still got a (runners-up) medal.

“I saw the Champions League trophy the other day, it was at the training ground.

“Everyone was having their picture taken with it but not me. It was the players that played in the Champions League. I just walked away, although I did touch it. I thought to myself: ‘Hopefully, we will win it again this year’.”