New Ferens Park, wani filin wasa mai sauƙi da filin wasan takarda a arewa maso gabashin England, yana da nisa sosai daga manyan filayen Kofin Duniya na FIFA. Amma a wannan saman ne Dan Burn ya ɗauki tafiyarsa ta farko a ƙwallon ƙafa na duniya — kuma a can ne labarin ɗaya daga cikin zaɓuɓɓukan Thomas Tuchel mafi ban mamaki a Kofin Duniya ya fara.

A shekara ta 2009, Burn wanda yake da shekaru 17 a lokacin an kira shi zuwa ƙungiyar wakilcin England Clubs for Young People don wasan ƙasa na British. A wannan lokaci, an riga an sake shi daga Cibiyar Ingancin Newcastle United, kuma yana rarraba lokacinsa tsakanin karatun ajin shida da aiki a wani babban kantin cikin gari.

Wata ƙofa ta buɗe ga wani ɗabi'a da aka manta

Alan Watson, manajan ƙungiyar England National Association of Boys Clubs, yana yawo cikin ƙasar yana neman matasan da ba su da kwantiragin mafi kyau. Burn ya wuce jerin gwanon jarrabawa ya kuma sami matsayinsa a cikin ƙungiyar. Sakon Watson ga 'yan wasan da aka sake ya kasance koyaushe ɗaya: ƙofa ɗaya ta rufe, wata tana buɗewa.

A cikin ƙungiyar tare da Burn akwai bakan tsakiya Lewis Blissett, wanda yanzu yana aiki a gudanar da kadarori kuma yana ƙaunar Newcastle United tun yana ƙarami. Ba cikakken barkwanci bane Blissett ya yi lokacin da ya bayyana haɗin gwiwarsa da Burn a tsakiyar tsaron baya a matsayin «babban abin da za a tuna da shi a rayuwarsa».

«Da la'akari da tsayinsa, da ka yi tunanin zai ƙauro ƙwallon iska ne kawai ya bar wani ya yi aikin sauran, amma yana da ƙwarewa sosai,» Blissett ya tuna. «Ƙarfinsa da ƙwallon a ƙasa yana da matsayi na manyan 'yan wasa ga wani babban ɗan wasa na wannan zamani. Ikon sa na kula da ƙwallo da yadda yake wuce ta ya kasance mafi kyau.»

Amma abin da ya fi burge Blissett duka shine tunanin Burn. Yayin da wasu abokan wasan na iya zaɓan fita a daren Asabar, Burn ya kasance mai kwanciyar hankali da ƙwararru. England ta lashe gasar, kuma waɗannan halaye sun bar alama mai ɗorewar tasiri.

Girman kai fiye da shekarunsa

Abokin wasansa Andi Thanoj ya raba wannan ra'ayi. «Koyaushe yana da ƙarfin hankali da zurfa,» Thanoj ya ce. «Dukkanmu mun kasance yara matasa, amma yana kama da babba fiye da sauran mu, wanda ya bayyana a cikin abin da ya samu a rayuwarsa.»

Gasar ta kuma jawo hankalin Craig Liddle, wanda a lokacin shi ne shugaban haɓakar matasa na Darlington. Watson ya riga ya bashi labarin Burn, har ya kwatanta shi da Tony Adams ya kuma yi annabci cewa zai wata rana ya buga wa England — wani faɗin da Liddle ya kwatanta a lokacin da shi a matsayin «abin mamaki sosai».

Liddle yana da sha'awar hakan da yawa har ya umarci shugaban saitin ƙungiyar matasa Les Wray da ya tunkari iyayen ɗan wasan kafin ɗaya daga cikin wasannin England na gasar ya ƙare, yana tabbatar cewa babu wani ƙungiya mai hamayya da za ta riga su.

Daga Darlington zuwa Wembley

Ci gaban Burn a Darlington ya samu masa canja wuri zuwa Fulham a shekara ta 2011, ko da yake an sake shi daga baya. Ya ƙi shan kashi. Bayan lokatai a Wigan da Brighton, ya koma Newcastle United — ƙungiyar da ya ƙaunata tun yana yaro — ya kuma taka muhimmiyar rawa wajen taimaka wa ƙungiyar ta tsira daga faɗuwar matsayi da samun cancanta zuwa UEFA Champions League a 2023 da 2025.

Babban lokacin ya zo sa'ad da Burn ya zira ƙwallon farko yayin da Newcastle ta kawo ƙarshen jiran shekaru 70 don ɗaukar babban kofin gida ta hanyar cin Liverpool a wasan karshe na EFL Cup. Ya yi wasansa na farko da babban tawagar England makon bayan haka, kuma ya zama ɗan wasa mai tamani a ƙungiyar Tuchel.

Yanzu yana da shekaru 34, Burn ba shi da shakka game da rawarsa a Kofin Duniya — ya san ana iya buƙatarsa daga benci — amma ya yi alkawarin kasancewa shirye koyaushe da ake kiran sa. Ga ɗan wasa wanda ya taɓa tsara kayayyaki a kantin sayarwa don biyan buƙatunsa, kowane babi na wannan labari yana ƙaryata tsammanin.

«Yana da son zuciya don ci gaba da jurewa da ƙarfin hali da himma don cin nasara,» Liddle ya ce. «Abin mamaki ne inda ya kai.»