By: Ebrima Mbaye
How many gifted young footballers are slipping through our fingers before we ever learn their names? How many dreams fade quietly behind closed gates, dusty fields, and disapproving glances, not because talent is lacking, but because belief, guidance, and opportunity never arrive? Bangally Manneh almost became one of them.
In many Gambian communities, football is still seen as a waste of time, a pastime that distracts young boys from school and “serious life.” Parents discourage it. Infrastructure fails it. Administration neglects it. And in rural Gambia, especially, raw talent is too often left to fend for itself.
Bangally’s journey began in the streets of Manneh Kunda, Basse, where football was not encouraged, it was resisted. His father did not approve of the game. His mother, however, chose faith over fear.
“When I was in Basse, my dad disliked football and did not accept us going to play,” Bangally recalls. My mom has been the one backing us.”
That backing came with quiet sacrifices.
“Sometimes my mom would go to the market and return by six or seven in the evening,” he said.
“That was when we went to play. Other times, we jumped the fence.”
Those stolen moments were the foundation of a dream that refused to die.
A Star Emerges in Basse
Bangally’s talent began to speak loudly during the 2024 Basse Nawetan, where he scored six goals in eight matches, guiding his team to the finals. It was the kind of performance that demanded attention, and in November 2024, Fortune Football Club answered. Yet the journey was never going to be straightforward.
The Long Road to Readiness
In his first season at Fortune, Bangally was loaned out to Suwo Kono, a Jarra-based side in the GFF Second Division. Far from the cameras and the applause, he learned patience, discipline, and humility. It was football stripped to its core, effort, belief, and survival. He returned home this year stronger, quieter, and ready.
83 Minutes That Changed Everything
His first taste of top-flight football came off the bench in a tight encounter against Steve Biko, a match Fortune went on to win 2–1. Then came the game against Greater Tomorrow.
In the 83rd minute, Bangally Manneh scored. Fortune held on for the win. The crowd celebrated. Bangally cried.
“Bangally Manneh is my name, from Basse,” he said afterward.
“Today is my first goal I scored in Fortune’s first team after my second year.”
Those tears carried memories far older than the goal itself.
“When I scored the ball, I thought about the time I was in Basse,” he explained.
I thought about my mum who sacrificed for us, protecting us, so we could play football. That’s why I cried.”
Bangally credits his breakthrough to discipline, prayer, and trust in his coaches.
“Coming from the bench, what the coach told me is exactly what I did,” he said.
“I have been praying for this. It has always been my dream to play first-division football in The Gambia.”
Above all, he credits his mother.
“I’m grateful to everyone who prayed for me, especially my mom,” Bangally said.
“She has been the one praying for me all these years.”
Talent Beyond Bangally
Renowned sports journalist Foday-Fo Manneh, also a son of Basse, believes Bangally’s success exposes a much deeper truth.
“Bangally’s two elder brothers, who are currently in Europe, are actually better players than him,” he revealed.
The point is not comparison. It is context.
“We have talented footballers in rural Gambia, All they need is guidance and consideration” Foday-Fo added.
Bangally’s rise, then, is not proof that the system works, but that talent sometimes survives it.
A Question That Lingers
For every Bangally Manneh who breaks through, how many others are lost to silence, discouragement, or neglect? How many goals are never scored because belief never arrived on time?
Bangally’s tears were not just about football. They were about fences jumped, prayers whispered, and a mother’s quiet defiance.
And as he wipes them away and runs on, his story leaves us with a question that refuses to fade.
How many Bangally Mannehs are we losing?
As the young Fortune prodigy continues his impressive performance, many football enthusiasts have praised the lad’s commitment and talent, making him one the youngest players to be kept an eye on.
