Path towards hope

The United States of America is a country that welcomes many young sportsmen and women from abroad looking for better opportunities. One of those is Gabriel, a young Colombian who made his way north to seek a better future for himself and his family. Gabriel ended up in Austin, Texas at the Barça Academy in the city which welcomed him and his footballing talent and personality with open arms.  

As a reward for his effort and discipline, the young lad travelled to Arizona after being selected for trails at the Barça Academy Residency in the US state.  There he gained a scholarship from the academy for the following season with the team to play in the MLS Next, a competition that brings together all the best teams in the US. 

Helping hand from his team mates 

Unfortunately, the day his parents signed the contract, Gabriel suffered a serious eye injury in training that forced him to miss several weeks of training with visual problems. The medical bills incurred were not covered by his insurance and this was a great worry for his family. It was then that the families of his team mates decided to help out with the payment for treatment of his injury. That gesture from the families shows that sport can be a catalyst for good which can help deal with the most difficult of situations.