Donald Benamna, a San Diego State soccer player, isn’t your typical freshman.
While other freshman can drop a pin on Los Angeles or the Bay Area to call it home, Benamna’s pin would drop a little bit further from San Diego—it drops in Bangui, the capital of the Republic of Central Africa. His journey to becoming an Aztec wouldn’t be easy, but few things in Benamna’s life ever were.
His love of soccer started when his dad taught him how to play soccer when Benamna was just five years old. When he was 8 years old, his dad moved to Maryland to work in the Embassy of the Central African Republic, which is in Washington D.C.
When his dad—whom Benamna played soccer with—left, he had to play with kids that were two or three years older than him so he could keep doing what he loved. The older kids were stronger than 8-year-old Benamna, but that didn’t faze him.
“I’d get kicked and all that, but I just never gave up,” he said. “I kept on trying with them and I got better and better.”
When he was 12, he got the exciting news that he’d be coming to the United States.
“I couldn’t believe it,” Benamna said. “One day I heard that I’m coming to join my dad in America … I never thought I could be here.”
To this day, coming stateside is something that he’s still in a little disbelief about.
“In my country when you say, ‘United States,’ that’s like people’s dream,” he said. “That’s where people want to be.”
Upon arrival to Silver Spring, Maryland, he didn’t speak any English. He spoke French and Sango—the language his tribe spoke in Bangui.
But in middle school, he had a couple of friends who spoke French, which made it a lot easier for him. It wasn’t until after middle school that he started to learn English. The language barrier didn’t stop him from playing. He played on a club team in the eighth grade and all throughout high school, while also playing for Montgomery Blair High School’s team.
His impressive high-school career paved the way for him to come play at SDSU. While he said he dreams of one day becoming a professional soccer player, he also has his priorities.
“Hopefully I get my education and finish my degree here and help San Diego (State) with the soccer program,” he said.
In the meantime, he likes to read about famous athletes, to see how they become so successful and famous.
“(I want) to see what it takes for them to be the players they are today, learn how to be great just like them,” he said.
