Joy-Lance Mickels yana goyon bayan Manchester United tun yana yaro. A ranar Alhamis, dan wasan kasa da kasa na Rwanda zai shiga filin Old Trafford ba a matsayin mai kallo ba, sai dai a matsayin abokin hamayya — don haka ya zama dan wasan farko daga kasarsa da ya buga gasar Champions League ta gaske.

Ana sa ran dan wasan gaba mai shekara 32 zai jagoranci harin Sabah na Azerbaijan lokacin da suka tafi Manchester don wasansu na farko a matakin gasa na Champions League (20:00 BST). An kafa Sabah shekara tara kacal da suka shude, kuma sun sami gurbin su a gasar bayan sun wuce zagaye hudu na wasannin cancantar da ake buga sau biyu a matsayin zakaran Azerbaijan Premier League.

«A ganina, wannan shi ne mafi kyawun jan kura da muka samu,» Mickels ya shaida wa BBC World Service. «Ya fi kyau domin za mu buga a Old Trafford. Manchester United na daya daga cikin manyan kulake a duniya, don haka zai zama lokaci na alfahari a tsaya filin.»

Hanya da aka gina akan himma

An haife shi kuma ya girma a Jamus, Mickels ya kwashe shekarun farkon aikinsa a rabe-raben kasan gasar Jamus kafin ya yi lokaci a Netherlands da Saudi Arabia. Ya shiga Sabah a karo na farko a shekarar 2021, ya bar a 2023, sannan ya koma Bank Respublika Arena shekaru biyu da suka wuce don lokacinsa na biyu tare da kulob dake Masazir.

«Aikin wasa nawa bai tafi ta hanya madaidaiciya ko sauƙi ba koyaushe,» ya ce. «Na buga a matakan daban-daban kuma a kasashe da dama. Amma kowane gogewa ya taimaka mana in girma a matsayin dan wasa da kuma a matsayin mutum.»

Mickels yana cancanta ya wakilci Rwanda ta hanyar iyayensa kuma ya fara wasannin kasa da kasa tare da Wasps a watan Maris. Ya zura kwallaye hudu a lokacin yakin neman cancantar Sabah, ciki har da bugun da ya taimaka tabbatar da nasara ta 6-4 a jimillar raga biyu kan kulob din Isra'ila Hapoel Be'er Sheva — wasan da ya ci gaba zuwa lokaci na kari bayan kwallo a minti na 94.

Yin tarihi ga Rwanda

Muhimmancin wasan Alhamis ya wuce iyakar kulake. Mickels yana da cikakkiyar fahimta game da abin da bayyanarsa a Old Trafford ke nufi ga kwallon kafa a Gabashin Afirka.

«Ina alfahari sosai da tushen Rwandana nawa,» ya ce. «Wakiltar Rwanda a lokacin buga Champions League abu ne na musamman sosai, sosai. Ina fatan tafiyata za ta iya zaburar da matasa dan wasanku na Rwanda ta nuna musu cewa da bangaskiya, himma, da hakuri, yana yiwuwa a kai ga kololuwar kwallon kafa.»

Jerin wasannin da ke da ban tsoro da farin ciki a lokaci guda

Jadawalin wasannin Sabah a Champions League ya hada da wasannin gida kan Borussia Dortmund da Barcelona — kodayake, tun da filin wasan su bai cika ƙa'idojin UEFA ba, ana sa ran za a gudanar da waɗannan wasannin a filin wasan Olympic da ke Baku. Yakinsu zai ƙare da tafiya zuwa wurin zakaran Premier League na yanzu, Arsenal.

Mickels ya zura kwallaye 19 lokacin da Sabah ya lashe taken gasar tun farko a kakar wasa da ta gabata, amma bai mantawa da girman abin da ke gaba a gasar kulake mafi girma ta Turai.

«Kowane wasa a Champions League na musamman ne domin kana gogayya da wasu daga cikin mafi kyawun kungiyoyi da dan wasanku a Turai,» ya ce. «Muna son zama masu gasa a kowane wasa kuma mu nuna ingancin da ya kawo mu zuwa nan. Muna son tafi da wasu maki kuma za mu yi wuya ga kowa ya samu maki a kanmu.»

Manajan Sabah Valdas Dambrauskas shi ma yana da labari mai ban mamaki na kansa, bayan ya yi amfani da kudinsa daga bayyanarsa a sigar Lithuanian na Who Wants to Be a Millionaire? don fara aiki a wasanni. Karkashin jagorancinsa, kulob wanda bai cika shekara goma ba yanzu yana shirye-shiryen fuskantar wasu manyan sunaye a kwallon kafa ta duniya.