With Mamelodi Sundowns star Gaston Sirino recently sharing his rags to riches story, here are 10 high-profile footballers who grew up poor and went on to achieve greatness.
Click through the gallery above to see 10 famous players who went from rags to riches!
Becoming a professional footballer is tough as it is, but there have been hundreds of players who had things even more difficult considering the environments in which they grew up.
While today he is widely recognised as one of the best players of all time, Argentina legend Diego Maradona is someone who knows all about the struggle. Growing up sharing a bedroom with seven siblings, and playing with a football on sand, Maradona's talent separated him from the other kids in his neighbourhood, and later led him to becoming an all-time great.
Arsenal legend Thierry Henry is another who grew up in difficult circumstances in a suburb in Paris called Les Ulis, which is considered part of the French capital's projects. While his family were believed to be poor, he kept his focus on the beautiful game, and eventually went on to represent Monaco, Juventus, Arsenal and Juventus, among others, as well as his country.
African legends Didier Drogba and Samuel Eto'o share similar stories of coming from poor backgrounds before finding their feet in Europe after years and years of hard work. Today, they are two of the continent's most iconic strikers.
Five-time Ballon d'Or winner Cristiano Ronaldo comes from a poor background, growing up in Funchal, Madeira, in a house in which he shared a room with all his siblings. His impoverished upbringing did not hold him back, however, as he backed himself to become a professional player.
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As a young teenager, Ronaldo played his first game for Sporting Lisbon in 2002, and through determination and ability, has continued to take the world by storm ever since. Click through the gallery above to see more household names who went from rags to riches!
Can you name any other footballers who came from difficult circumstances? Let us know in the comments section below.
