Johan Djourou

Johan Djourou may be a Switzerland international raised in western Europe, but he has never forgotten his strong African routes. And but for a remarkable act of kindness, the Arsenal defender might actually have never found his way out of the poverty stricken streets of the Ivory Coast and all the way the Premier League.

For Djourou was actually adopted by the Swiss wife of his African father, who had conceived the defender during a relationship with another woman in the Ivory Coast whilst still married.

The confusing and unlikely story ultimately allowed the 24-year-old to progress in football and then arrive at Arsenal as a raw teenager back in 2003, but the link with his native Africa is one of the reasons behind his work with the Kemi Malaika Foundation in Senegal.

Djourou visits the country every summer and works tirelessly to help raise funds for the organisation which set up a school in Saly which provides equal opportunities for 120 kids in the country. In June he flew out to Saly and met some of the youngsters and those working to help provide a better way of life than the poverty which they find themselves in.

The story of his childhood shapes his thoughts, and provides his inspiration. He said: "It's a difficult story. My dad is Ivorian and he was married to a Swiss lady, called Danielle, and they lived together in Geneva. "But he went to Ivory Coast and he had this thing with my biological mother, Angeline, so that's where I came from.

"Danielle could not have kids and my father said to her: 'Look, I had this thing ... my son was born, I made a mistake,' and she just said to him: 'Let's bring him here and we can adopt him.' "My dad was in contact with my natural mother. So at the age of 18 months, I moved from Abidjan to Geneva. "I have two mothers, which for me is great. It has given me so much and I have to say that without my adoptive mum I would maybe not be here.

"When you are in Africa there are a lot more difficulties and I was lucky enough to escape that. Other players like Emmanuel Eboué and Kolo Touré have made it through there but when you are European you have more options.

"Danielle is an amazing woman. There is a lot of jealousy in the world today and many people wouldn't accept those situations but she just took it in her stride and made the best of it. She had been betrayed but she did something so great to bring me in."

Djourou's father, Joaquim, had actually fathered a second son with Angeline, but unlike Johan he stayed in Africa.

The Arsenal defender added: "It was a bit too much for my father to say, 'I've got another one, let's adopt him as well.' So it was just the first one."

Such a decision and stroke of fortune is something which has stayed with Djourou. He knows it could have been so different, opportunities which would never have appeared. That is why he never wants to forget, and why he wants to do his bit to help others who don't share the same advantages he had.