From Refugee Camp to Global Pitches: Valentino Yuel’s Extraordinary Football Journey
Valentino Yuel’s life story is a testament to resilience, adaptability, and the universal language of football. For the first 11 years of his life, Yuel’s world was confined to a Kenyan refugee camp, a stark reality for a child born in 1994 to South Sudanese parents fleeing the brutal civil war in their homeland. It was only after his family was granted permission to resettle in Australia that the vastness of the world beyond his immediate surroundings began to dawn on him.
“You’re boxed in there, you don’t know any different,” Yuel, now 31, reflects on his early years. The eldest of seven siblings, he acknowledges the immense challenges his parents faced. “My dad was a soldier and was wounded in the war, so he had to find other means to provide. He had a shop and worked very hard. I now understand the challenge my parents had to provide food and an education for seven children.”
His days in the camp were structured around simple necessities and the solace of play. Mornings began with his parents ensuring he had breakfast, followed by school. After classes, the familiar joy of kicking a football with friends would occupy his time until dusk. “You lose yourself playing football, and think life is normal, but once you travel you appreciate it wasn’t normal,” Yuel explains. “My parents worked all day trying to create safety and security, so we didn’t have to experience what they did. That upbringing shapes your personality. It creates resilience and toughness, and an ability to make friends.” This profound perspective informs his approach to his profession: “I have to be a good human first and foremost,” he asserts. “We’re just kicking a ball, we’re entertainers, it’s not life and death.”
Yuel’s path to Australia was facilitated by an uncle who was one of the estimated 20,000 “Lost Boys of Sudan,” individuals displaced or orphaned by the protracted conflict. After resettling in Australia, he sponsored relatives, including Yuel’s family. The immigration process was arduous, involving a two-year waiting period and interviews conducted through a translator for a 10-year-old. “We were among the lucky ones who got to migrate and start a new life. A lot of families were denied. We’re all still very close, and they watch all my games,” he shares, highlighting the enduring bonds of family.
A Footballer’s Odyssey: From Adelaide to Hong Kong
Yuel’s passion for football proved to be an invaluable tool for navigating his new life in Australia. It helped him adapt to a different culture and language, leading to his debut for second-tier club Adelaide Comets at the age of 16. The moment he received payment for his efforts marked a significant turning point. “Then they paid me, and I thought, ‘This is not too bad,’” he recalls. Witnessing the superior conditioning, speed, and technical proficiency of first-team players, coupled with their remuneration, fuelled his ambition. “I realised the first-team players were stronger, faster, sharper and had cleaner techniques, and I saw they got paid. I knew I wasn’t far away if I improved those attributes.”
His upbringing instilled in him a mental fortitude that allowed him to hold his own in senior dressing rooms. This resilience paved the way for A-League contracts with Western United and later Newcastle Jets.
In 2022, Yuel pursued his dream of playing abroad, landing a contract with Aluminium Arak in Iran. However, his arrival coincided with a period of significant civil unrest following the death of Mahsa Amini. “We played a couple of games with no fans, and I thought, ‘OK, this is interesting,’” Yuel recounts. “There were protests on the streets, but I realised it was serious when the internet went down for three days. I wasn’t afraid, because we had good people protecting us, but I had to make sure my family weren’t frightened. We had access to the embassy, so I could contact them.”
An offer from Umm Salal in Qatar provided a reprieve, though the coach was dismissed shortly after his arrival. Yuel expresses a desire for stability: “I’d like to start a season already knowing my teammates.”
He then had a stint back in Australia with Western Sydney Wanderers before moving to Nasaf Qarshi in Uzbekistan last year. This experience was particularly eye-opening, as the locals had “never seen black people.” He likens the curiosity to his childhood in the refugee camp when encountering white UN workers. “It reminded me of being in the refugee camp when white UN workers would come,” Yuel says. “I’d be staring with the other kids, saying, ‘This is amazing.’ I was curious where they came from. In Uzbekistan, the people were excited, they wanted photos and to ask where I was from and what languages I spoke.”
A “rushed decision” led him to Murooj in Libya, after which his agent facilitated his move to Hong Kong Premier League club Eastern District in October. For Yuel, Hong Kong offers a sense of proximity to home and a location conducive to his girlfriend, Jacki, visiting from Australia.
Looking Ahead: Family, Future, and the Dream of the World Cup
Yuel and Jacki are planning to marry next year, with Christmas set to be spent back in Australia. South Sudan also holds a significant place in his heart; he has earned 25 caps and scored two goals for his nation. His ultimate ambition is to help the world’s youngest country qualify for a World Cup, a dream that remains alive despite an unsuccessful but promising 2026 qualifying campaign.
More profoundly, Yuel cherishes the career that has allowed him to reconnect with his roots. “The career I love took me home for the first time,” he states with evident emotion. “I got to see my grandparents and extended family, then went back with my parents, which was surreal for all of us.” The warmth of recognition and belonging is palpable: “Someone will come up and say, ‘I’m your uncle,’ or, ‘I was there when you were born.’ It’s always amazing to go back. There’s no place like home.”
Currently managing a hamstring injury, Yuel is eager to make his mark for Eastern District. He believes he has much more to offer than what has been seen so far, with “three more gears to go in games.” His agent’s assessment of Hong Kong as a conducive environment for him to regain his form appears to be proving accurate. Yuel’s journey, marked by displacement and global relocation, is a compelling narrative of a footballer who has found his footing on pitches across the world, all while carrying the enduring spirit of his origins.
