00:00Since he can remember, Mikele Tsegaye has dedicated his life to becoming a footballer.
00:10But he's had to face some of the toughest challenges imaginable.
00:15Since arriving in England from Ethiopia in 2021, he's been moved around the country and
00:20in and out of temporary housing.
00:23He's twice been forced out onto the streets.
00:26I'm sleeping in a park in King Cross, it's very hard, but I'm not the only one.
00:32Many young people you find in King Cross, in many parks, they're waiting for housing.
00:39It's very frustrating and very annoying, but it's just how the system works.
00:45You have to wait and then once they give you, you take the chance.
00:49But it's more I have to do it by myself.
00:52Despite being apart from his family and living with constant uncertainty, Mikele keeps his
00:57sport at the heart of his life.
00:59Football is always helping me to avoid my anxiety, my everything.
01:04Make me focus on playing football.
01:06Make me focus on my life.
01:08His determination is clear, but can someone without a home really make football his life?
01:14Mikele still thinks so and will soon travel to the Homeless World Cup.
01:19He has become used to overcoming the toughest challenges.
01:31In 2020, his home city of Adwa came under siege in a civil war between the Ethiopian
01:36National Defence Forces and the Tigray People's Liberation Front.
01:41Mikele and his family were bystanders when the war reached their home town.
01:46We were not ready for this.
01:48We were in the city.
01:49We just do our daily lives.
01:52And then suddenly they come shooting.
01:54They kill my friends, they kill...
01:56A lot of my friends killed.
01:58What they did is beyond words.
02:01You can't believe.
02:03Still, in my mind, when I remember it, I couldn't even sleep, you know.
02:08An estimated 600,000 people died in the war, including one of Mikele's brothers.
02:14And some of his cousins.
02:16Millions more were displaced.
02:18Mikele was one of those.
02:20He took a perilous crossing from Ethiopia to Europe on a smuggler's boat,
02:24before ending up in the infamous Kale Refugee Camp, known as the jungle.
02:29Eventually, after countless attempts, he crossed the channel to England.
02:34It was really scary.
02:37I never thought I was going to be out from the ocean.
02:39There is no explanation for this.
02:41I can't tell you how I went through this.
02:43It's by God's protection.
02:46Though he felt he had to take any chance to leave, Mikele still longs for his homeland.
02:53I miss it so much, too much.
02:56I miss my friends, I miss my family.
03:00Everything in the country, my city, I really miss it.
03:06Three years on from his departure, and with asylum finally granted,
03:10Mikele is now looking forward.
03:12He has a room in a supported accommodation house in North London,
03:16and is enjoying life in England.
03:18He has been welcomed into the Ethiopian community in the city,
03:21and found plenty of friends through football.
03:24The people are very nice, very kind.
03:27They always try to help you the best.
03:29If you want food, they will give you food.
03:32They always try to help you the best.
03:34If you want football, if you want education,
03:37this kind of system is very helpful for the refugees like me.
03:41This is why I really appreciate this country.
03:44Even in the tough times, he never stopped following his dream.
03:48Mikele was in the youth team of one of Ethiopia's top clubs.
03:52For me, football is like my life.
03:54Since I was a kid, I just love football.
03:57And my teachers, my coaches, they always tell my father,
04:01don't let him stop. He's too talented. He's very good.
04:05The big stadium of the city is close to our house.
04:08After school, I put my bag and then go play in the stadium.
04:14And then, yeah, it was like easy for me to play football.
04:20Since coming to England, he has been in and out of lower league squads.
04:24But now, a big chance has come his way.
04:26He has been selected to play for England at the Homeless World Cup in Seoul, South Korea.
04:31The tournament gathers hundreds of homeless people from all over the globe
04:34for a week-long street soccer tournament every year.
04:39I'm healing now. I'm doing what I love, playing football.
04:42This opportunity is really huge.
04:45In preparation, he has been training every day at a local park.
04:49Soon, his talent was noticed.
04:51Coach Sami saw Mikele training alone
04:53and now trains and advises him on how to get a professional contract.
04:57For Sami, the way Mikele deals with such challenging circumstances makes him stand out.
05:03It takes resilience. It takes...
05:07Some days he comes and I say, have you eaten?
05:10He said, I'm struggling, but I'm here.
05:14I said, OK, don't worry. I'll take care of you after the training.
05:19Sometimes I feel like he wants to throw up.
05:22And I say, are we still OK? So let's call it a day.
05:25He said, no, no, no. I have to get this right.
05:28It's just something special. It's something unique that I haven't seen in a lot of players.
05:33A lot of people say, oh, I don't have this, so I cannot come to training.
05:38I'm cold now. No matter what he's facing outside, it doesn't affect him.
05:44Sami sees real potential in Mikele.
05:47Ability-wise, the premiership players that I see in him,
05:52there's no difference, but you have to prove it.
06:04All the effort paid off in South Korea.
06:06Mikele was top scorer as England qualified through the group stage,
06:10then helped his team beat the USA and Indonesia in the knockouts.
06:14His teammates certainly appreciated his contribution.
06:18I like him as a person. As a bowler, boy, he needs to go big time.
06:23I call him the clinical finisher. He needs to get into a professional team.
06:27Mikele also gained a lot from the bonds formed in Korea.
06:31I made many friends here. I engaged with a lot of nationals.
06:35It's wonderful. It's wonderful.
06:37You can hear many stories about the players that participate here.
06:42They have an amazing background. They made it this far.
06:46You're really proud of them.
06:48I learned many things from this tournament.
06:51I can say it's a huge experience to me, so I'm very excited.
06:57On the pitch, it all came down to the final against Mexico,
07:00the most successful nation of all time in the tournament.
07:03The Mexicans got off to a flyer before doubling their lead soon after.
07:09But England regrouped as Mikele got them up and running.
07:14His goal changed the momentum with England suddenly dominant.
07:18The equalizers soon followed, 2-all.
07:22The men in white were suddenly brimming with confidence,
07:25taking the lead for the first time.
07:28But their opponents would not lie down,
07:31a spell of pressure finally bringing it to 3-all.
07:35Then, amid the intense physical battle,
07:38an off-the-ball incident changed everything.
07:50Mikele was sent off.
07:56England fought to the end, but just couldn't hold on.
08:00Mexico eventually won a fifth men's title with a 6-5 win.
08:07Though his side couldn't get over the line,
08:09the experience of a different culture and city
08:12and the chance to meet people from all over the world was invaluable to Mikele.
08:23Back in London, the pain of the defeat still stings.
08:28I'm very, very sad. We lost the final.
08:31I was expecting to win the trophy.
08:35One week, very hard, I was like by myself.
08:39I couldn't take it.
08:41Unfortunately, worse was to come.
08:43Soon after landing, Mikele was told he'd been evicted
08:46because his landlord wanted to sell the house.
08:49It was a bitter blow.
08:52At the moment, for me it's hard,
08:55but I'm just starting from scratch now.
08:58It's hard for me at the moment.
09:00He's far from alone in this struggle.
09:02There are an estimated 350,000 homeless people in England
09:06from a population of 58 million.
09:08And in London, the situation is even worse.
09:11One in 53 people in the capital are homeless
09:14and nearly 5,000 people sleep rough across the city every night,
09:18up 18% on the previous year.
09:21I think we're facing unprecedented numbers
09:25of people coming to the streets.
09:27Jenny Traversos is the director of housing and services
09:30at London homeless charity The Passage.
09:32From my professional experience, the worst I've ever seen it
09:35because there aren't ways to move people off the street
09:38or to prevent people from becoming homeless.
09:41We just don't have the accommodation available,
09:44so it is a constant struggle.
09:46In her view, young people like Mikele
09:48have been hit particularly hard by government policies.
09:51But the ousting of the country's Conservative government
09:54by Labour earlier this year offers some shoots of hope.
09:57My impression is this government is going to look at wider homelessness.
10:01And for as much as we can say, you know,
10:04government policy will build 1.5 million additional homes,
10:08they don't get built overnight,
10:10so it's the between now and then in what matters.
10:13Doing the same thing over and over again, it's just not working.
10:17So I think there is hope,
10:19and I think there is a need for quite radical change.
10:28Mikele certainly never lost his hope.
10:31And for now at least, that has been rewarded.
10:34The management of his old house has changed, and he's got a new room.
10:38I can do my own things now.
10:41I can think, I can do whatever I want.
10:43At least I can think, you know.
10:45When you don't have a house, it's hard.
10:48But now I can do my own things.
10:51I can focus on my footwork, my education, work, yeah.
10:56Things are looking up.
10:58But having been through the London housing system before,
11:01Mikele knows it's unlikely to last forever.
11:04There is no secure place.
11:06In London, there is lack of house.
11:09Things change in a minute.
11:12You always have to focus.
11:15You have to always be alert.
11:17You can be homeless tomorrow. You don't know.
11:19I'm always alert on this.
11:22But for now I can say I'm settled, I'm focused, I'm happy.
11:28With the place to sleep sorted,
11:30he can once again dedicate all his energy
11:32to fulfilling the dreams he's carried with him on his journey from Adwa.
11:36Yeah, I'm really, really positive to see my future.
11:39I'm really positive.
11:41I'm really looking forward to change my life now.
11:44Next now is going to sign any club, any pro club,
11:49which I'm working on it with my coach.
11:53The people know me around me, so they are helping me.
11:57I'm also looking for trials, you know.
12:00I'm just doing what I have to do,
12:02and then we'll see what will happen.
12:07Finding a home and finding a club.
12:10One a human necessity and the other a lifelong passion.
12:14The two main forces in Michele's life rarely complement each other.
12:18But he's made it this far by battling the odds,
12:21and he shows no signs of stopping now.
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