Troy Deeney ya zira ɗaya daga cikin manyan ƙwallaye a tarihin Football League, kwanaki tara kawai bayan fita daga kurkuku. Ƙwallon da ya zira a minti na 97 a wasan semi-final na play-off don Watford a shekara ta 2013 — daƙiƙoƙi kaɗan bayan Anthony Knockaert ya ƙyace bugun fanariti wanda da ya tura Leicester City zuwa Wembley — ya tsayar da sunan sa a tarihin kulob ɗin har abada.

"A wancan lokaci, na kasance mai nutsuwa sosai — yayi kama komai ya yi jinkiri, kamar yadda kake gani a fim," in ji Deeney ga FourFourTwo. "Na ce da kaina, 'Daka kai tsaye zaka ci.' Da zarar ta taɓa net din, ya yi kama fashewar hayaniya."

Ƙwallaye bakwai a yanayin maye

Tafarkin da ya kai ga waccan takamaiman lokaci bai kasance mai sauƙi ba. Deeney ya girma yana ƙaunar Birmingham, an kore shi daga makaranta yana saurayi. Ya kusa shiga Aston Villa, amma ya halarta ne kawai ranar farko da ta ƙarshe na gwajin da ya ɗauki kwanaki huɗu, yana ɗaukar sauran lokacin hutu da abokai. "Babu daidai a tunanina a wancan lokaci," ya amince.

Ya ƙare yana buga ƙwallon ƙafa a ƙwallon ƙwallon ƙafa na ƙanƙane, Chelmsley Town, yana buga ƙwallon ƙafa a matsayin ɗan wasa na tsakiyar filin tare da maza waɗanda suka girme shi shekaru ashirin. Ya yaba da wannan kwarewa da ya tsara halayensa — ko da yake ba koyaushe ta hanyar da da koyar da masu horar da ƙwallon ƙafa suke goyan baya. Masu lura da baiwa na Walsall sun zo su gane shi a ranar da aka ce ya ci ƙwallaye bakwai. Matsalar ita ce: yana cikin maye. "Ban iya gaya muku ko na yi bakwai gaskiya ba, amma tabbas na kasance maye!" ya yi dariya. "Ina fita Juma'a, Asabar da Lahadi — sannan na nemi wata sana'a Litinin."

Maido da baiwa na Walsall, Mick Halsall, ya yi haɗari da wannan saurayin duk da haka. "Ya ga wani abu a cikin na da ban tsammanin zai yiwu ba," in ji Deeney. "Ya ba ni ba wai damar kawai ba, ya ba ni ceto na rayuwa."

Daga League One zuwa Watford — da hargitsi a tsakanin

Bayan ya tabbatar da kansa a matsayin mai zira ƙwallaye a League One, Deeney ya shiga Watford, wanda a wancan lokaci yana tsakiyar teburin Championship. A ƙarshe ya yi shekaru 11 a Vicarage Road, yana zira ƙwallaye 140 kuma yana buga wasanni a tsawon kakar wasanni biyar na cikakke a Premier League. Amma watanni 18 na farko sun kasance masu rikicewa. "A hankali na kasance ko'ina, ba zan bayyana ba, ba na nuna kaina yadda ya kamata ba — koyaushe ina da cizon shinfida na wanda bai cancanci matsayinsa ba," in ji shi. "Ina da babban tsoro cewa zai ƙarewa."

A farkon shekara ta 2012, matsaloli biyu sun same shi a lokaci guda. An gano cewa mahaifinsa yana da cutar kansa ta makogwaro yana da shekaru 47, kuma an tuhumi Deeney da faɗa bayan wata rikici a makon dare wajen wata mashaya a Birmingham — hari wanda ya bar ɗaya daga cikin wadanda suka fi cutar da muƙamuƙi na karye. Manajan Sean Dyche ya ci gaba da turawa cikin dukkanin waɗannan abubuwan. "Kullum yana faɗa mani, 'Za ka bar,'" Deeney ya tuna. "Ya fahimci cewa babu maye ta cikin su." Deeney ya amsa da ƙwallaye goma daga watan Janairu zuwa ƙarshen kakar."

Kurkuku a matsayin juyi na rayuwa

Kwanaki uku bayan binne mahaifinsa, an yanke wa Deeney hukuncin zaman kurkuku watanni goma. Ya yi fiye da makonni 13 kadan kurkuku. Bai yi shakku ba game da abin da wannan lokaci ya nufar masa. "Da ban je kurkuku ba, da na mutu," ya ce, yana maimaita kalmomi da gangan. "Na kasance ina rayuwa cikin haɗari sosai a wajen filin wasa."

Haka kuma yana ƙarfafa cewa bai so ya rage girman cutarwa da ya yi ba. "An sami iyali a ɗayan gefen, kuma ba na son taɓa girmama abin da na yi — an sami wanda aka cutar." Amma ya kwatanta waɗannan makonni a ɗaki a matsayin fuskantar da kansa da ya zama dole. "Na binne mahaifinа Juma'a kuma na shiga kurkuku Litinin. A kurkuku, abin da kake da shi shi ne lokaci kawai. Na rubuta jerin: me zan yi idan na fita? Na kasance ina karɓar kyakkyawar albashi amma ina fita kowane mako, da wata motar hayar da gida na haya. Da an kulle ka kuma albashi ya tsaya, kana gane: 'Ainihin, ba ni da komai.' Shi ne sake farawa mai wahala da nake buƙata."

An sake shi yana da sabon azama, Deeney ya zira ƙwallon nasara a wasansa na farko ya fara shi a matsayin ɗan wasan farko ga Watford — wanda a wancan lokaci dangin Pozzo sun karɓa, tare da Gianfranco Zola a matsayin manaja — kuma ya ƙare kakar da ƙwallaye 20. Muhallin play-offs na 2013 ya biyo baya, kuma sauran ya zama tarihin Watford.