The Victor Moses Story

FOOTBALL is a world governed by two distinct schools of analysis. The first is the facts of the match and the result, the second is the story behind the game which becomes serialised in the match reports or the transfer rumours in the newspapers the following day.

Victor Moses has travelled a well beaten path in story of football. He has been a rags to riches story; the proverbial wonderkid and the man who rose too high too soon.

The job of a journalist is to tell the stories of matches as well as the supporting cast. These tales can be weaved thread after thread time after time. The David v Goliath encounter is served upon us after every cup draw; then you have Luis Suarez, the pariah of football, much like Joey Barton before him and Eric Cantona in the mid 90s. The typecast is common because it works, they are themes that are well known, related to easily and stories that can be retold.

Yet all too often fans can just as easily be sucked in by the narrative without questioning it.

Victor Moses is a great example. His arrival at Anfield came with little pomp or ceremony. His deadline day move was overshadowed by the surprise capture of Mamadou Sakho from PSG and Liverpool also wrapping up their long term summer target Tiago Ilori.

It’s not often that attacking players attract less attention than their defensive counterparts and in Moses case it had much to do with perception.

At Wigan, Moses was following through the wonderkid narrative. He rose from a promising forward to become the figurehead of Roberto Martinez’s slick side. His invention and ball retention offered dynamism to the Wigan team, while his pace provided a regular outlet when they looked to counter attack. In the second half of his final season at the Latics he reached a higher level and found great consistency making him a target for the big boys.

His transfer to Chelsea made fans weary of him ahead of his switch to Merseyside. Moses season in London was one of great contrast. He mustered 1 solitary goal in 23 Premier League outings acting as a bit part player in their league campaign. Yet, like most young players in top teams, he was given much more time in the cup competitions. His 9 goals in those remaining 20 games was a sparkling return.

Sadly, the Premier League always takes prominence; it is the focus of the majority of football in England and it is where most judgements will be forged. Seeing Moses sit on Chelsea’s bench for the best part of it allowed many to conclude that he was another player who could not cut it at the upper echelons of the league.

This was the simple assessment. With Moses seemingly following the path others have before (see Sidwell and Shaun Wright-Phillips), it was easy for him to be compartmentalised in a narrative that was well known. The frailty of that judgement can be seen by looking at the excitement surrounding Andros Townsend who, at the same age, has not matched Moses’ achievements.

For Nigeria Moses has scored 5 goals in 14 games so far, he is also entering his 5th season of Premier League football. By comparison Townsend has scored one goal in two games for England and is enjoying his second ever season in the top flight, having recently scored his first league goal for Spurs. That is not to pour scorn on the Tottenham midfielder; it is simply to highlight the way in which those two players have been judged.

But the real story behind Moses actually makes for  much more compelling reading than our well versed stereotypes.

At the age of 11,  he travelled from Nigeria to seek asylum in Britain. In the preceding days, with a build up of religious conflict between Muslim and Christian faiths, Moses was orphaned. His father, a Christian pastor, and his mother were killed by religious rioters. They were murdered in their own home.

Victor Moses was hidden away by friends for fear that he would suffer the same fate. That fear of persecution gave those around him no option but to send him to the UK and to find a new life with a foster family.

He first made the national news on the back of this story at the age of 14 when he scored all 5 goals in a 5-0 win in the Under 14s FA Youth Cup. ‘Orphaned asylum seeker triumphs’ is a pretty good scoop for any liberal media outlet.

Since then he has continued to progress his football level and at Liverpool he looks to have found an appropriate stage to hone his talents further. Not only will he play for a big team with quality players but he will also see more minutes on the field at Anfield which is critical for any player to develop.

Should Moses continue his upwards trajectory at Liverpool, then the next chapter in his story will not be one of tragedy and hardship. Instead it will be the battle of wills when Liverpool attempt to wrestle him from Chelsea’s grasp.

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