Kadir was born in Colon, a city with just over 200,000 inhabitants in Panama. He grew up on the outskirts of there. Where he saw many of his friends turn to crime and not finding another answer to get out of the difficult life they found themselves in.
In addition to the situation, Kadir still saw his father abandon the family when he was still 10 years old. His mother ended up having to raise him alone. But, even with the adversities, Kadir decided to dream and dream about football. The young man, from an early age, saw in sport an opportunity to change his life, to get out of the situation he found himself in.
“I saw my friends going to crime, but I never wanted that path for myself. Difficulties always existed, but I never gave up, I wanted to live from football and be an example. Show my teammates that ‘sí, se puede’, which means we can win without being through crime”, said the player.
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Kadir then started playing on a project in Panama when he was discovered by his current manager, Rubens. He had a project in the country where he observed young talent and took him to Grêmio for tests. So the young athlete, only 18 years old, was presented and tested at the club from Rio Grande do Sul, where he was approved.
He was supposed to move to Brazil, but he was going through a difficult time, because a year before coming to the country, his mother died. It was the first moment that Kadir thought about giving up, but was convinced by his sister to go to Brazil and fulfil his dream.
“It was a difficult time, but I couldn’t give up. It was my dream and a great opportunity. Brazil is a country that values football a lot and I had to try and I moved here. It was my chance!”, remembers the player.
Upon arriving in Brazil, Kadir spent sixty days in training with Grêmio, but there was no arrangement for his stay. After that, the Panamanian went to Rondonópolis and then moved to the youth team of Portuguesa, where he currently competes in the Campeonato Paulista U-20 and is the team’s top scorer with eight goals in 14 games.
“I feel that I’m on the way to fulfilling my dream. I know it’s a long way to do it, but it’s been taking a step each time I’ve gotten here and that’s my mentality. I’m grateful to Portuguesa for the opportunity and I reciprocate that on the field I know that when I play, I represent all the boys who came from the same place as me and who also dream of winning in life. I won, I want others to see that it is possible!”, concluded Kadir.
