Gambiaj.com – (Banjul, the Gambia)- As a teenager, Michael Demba was tipped to be a successful footballer. Quick, direct, and someone who likes to stretch opposing defenses both from a horizontal and a vertical perspective, the winger was Born and raised in Siffoe where his career with the village’s junior team started. ‘’I started playing football when I very young at primary school level and when I was 16 years old. ‘’Football was all that I wanted to do, and I enjoyed doing it whilst growing up, he tells The Gambia Journal.
As a youngster, Michael would play with his friends on the dusty, rocky streets of Siffoe where his hunger and desire for football started. ‘’Growing up playing football in Siffoe was enjoyable, he said. ‘’The fans liked me so much, I was a good dribbler and when you are a good dribbler you attract people and they like you for that.
His pace, relentless pressing and verticality, earned him call-up to the village’s senior football team. ‘’At that time many thought I would be nervous to join the senior team because of the tininess, but I wasn’t because I knew I can do even with professional players, I was just not afraid to face anyone in the field of play, Michael said.
As a student of Saint Augustine’s High School in Banjul, Mickey B as he’s fondly called played for the school’s football team. Upon graduation in 1986, he played for 1st Division side Young African where he became fans favorite despite his brief stint with the team. ‘’ I left Young Africans because the then GFA decentralized football and added some Nawettan teams into the first division to make it more competitive, so I had to quit Young African for Saraba in Brikama.
In 1982, Michael debuted for Saraba against Dragons at the Box Bar in Brikama. That was a good game for the young attacker after a nervy start. He recalls: “I played my heart out on that night. The mini Stadium was full to capacity and I was just on top of everything.
While with Saraba, Michael remained remarkably quick as well as a tricky dribbler. His biggest career highlight came in 1986 during a league match against Dragons at the Box Bar mini stadium in Brikama. With his pace, power and technical prowess, he was the undisputed best player for Saraba on that day. ‘’I will never forget that game, he said. ‘’My passes were all accurate, my can get pass two to even three defenders to assist a goal, I was just on fire on that night.
‘’The fans were singing amazing songs and that kept reenergizing me, I miss the fans of Saraba.
But after a few years of playing, Michael realized that his true passion was music, specifically being a disk jockey. Against all odds, he made the difficult decision to leave his football career behind and pursue his dream. Through hard work and determination, Michael is now a DJ with West Coast Radio. ‘’I have always loved listening and playing good music, he said. Even when I was active as a footballer, I would sometimes join some top DJ’s then at night clubs to watch how they do it, Demba explained.
In 1992, Michael retired from football. His last game for Saraba was against Real de Banjul at the Independence Stadium. “That game gave mix feelings,” he recalls. “I thought I should give chance to the young players coming up and concentrate on other things. I think I gave all I could to my team, Saraba.’’
Despite the success he achieved as a footballer, Michael has found a new passion in the world of music. ‘’I feel great when playing music to people, he said. I found so much love and affection in this field. Music is like food to me now.’’
