Unaccompanied foreign minors also have names. They are people with the same right to dream of a life with opportunities, rights and carved with their own hands. This time, with his own feet. This is the case of Rabii Merouani, a UP Langreo footballer who stars in a commendable story of overcoming with the ball as the central axis of the story.
Rabii came to Spain when he was a minor. He lived in a reception center in Castilla-La Mancha, where they gave him a good human treatment that countered his complex situation. The current UP Langreo footballer, moreover, could not play football in a federated manner, since FIFA prohibits minors from playing official matches in a country other than their birth country.
The quality of Rabii Merouani stood out from his peers and friends. The Moroccan stood out above the rest, took over the ball, and wasted talent on all four sides. Those incidents were visualized by an InterSoccer Academy scout, who did not hesitate to track him down. When he turned 18 and was forced to leave the reception center, Rabii moved to the InterSoccer Academy residence as a scholarship holder.
At the academy, he received a great treatment that was later translated into a collaboration agreement to help more footballers like him (unaccompanied foreign minors). In 18/19, once he reached the age of majority, he ended up at the AD Alcobendas National Youth, where he showed that his natural talent should be polished based on training that he had not previously obtained.
A season later, as a senior, he became a member of the military in the AC InterSoccer Madrid de Primera Regional, where he could not complete the full campaign due to the pandemic, but he already offered details that his quality belonged to a higher category. On 20/21, the InterSoccer Academy moved to Asturias and UP Langreo, true to its idiosyncrasy of promising young forms, acquired him for its Preferente team.
After the suspension of regional competitions in Asturias, Ángel Rodríguez, coach of the UP Langreo (Second B) first team, decides to have him for training. After seeing his self-confidence, he decided to incorporate him into the dynamics of his cast for the rest of the season. The constant work led him to make his debut against CD Numancia on matchday 17 of Segunda B.
Rabii has been able to play against Compostela at Vero Boquete, against Racing de Ferrol at home, and, most importantly, against Deportivo de La Coruña in an entire First Division stadium like Riazor. Just three and a half years earlier, he had competed against his fellow unaccompanied foreign minors on a bumpy handball court at a reception center. This is the story of overcoming Rabii Merouani, the example that dreams can be fulfilled.
