Unarguably one of the best Gambian footballers, Ebrima Colley was born in a very poor family in Tallinding.

According to one of his former neighbors, growing up, Ebrima's family struggled to make ends meet. He lived with his parents and siblings in a compound  that was always inundated with water during the rainy season.

Playing football changed his life. He is now among the richest footballers in the country with a net worth of D50million -D200million.

One of his childhood friends disclosed: "Ebrima started his football journey at the Tallinding Junior Football Academy before he was spotted by some European agents who were in the country looking for future African stars."

He continued: "He was among three young footballers who were selected in The Gambia and taken to Senegal for further trial. But Ebrima was dropped and he returned home. He nearly quit football, but his coach Babucarr Camara encouraged him to continue playing."

After a brief stint with first division team Hawks FC, the 21-year-old bagged a contract with Italian team Atalanta's Under-19 squad in the 2017-18 season. He made his professional debut for the senior team in December 2019.

His former neighbor revealed: "One of the first things he did after becoming a professional footballer was pulling his family out of poverty. He bought a house for them at the Salagi Estate."

Ebrima, who now plays for Spezia on loan, made his Africa Cup of Nations debut earlier this month in Cameroon. He is among the nation's favorite footballers.