GROWING up, many young Africans nurse the ambition of playing football professionally in Europe and becoming superstars. The BBC reports that about 260 million people in Africa follow the English Premier League. Dreams, for some, do come true, and a few have succeeded in making the journey to Europe. According to Football Benchmark, African players – most of them from west Africa – make up about 6% of the total player base of the 11 most prominent leagues in Europe. But it’s a difficult road, with ups and downs. Author IKECHUKWU EJEKWUMADU, Postdoctoral Fellow, Institute of Sports Science, University of…