Vinícius invites a Sudanese boy who lost his legs in a drone strike to a Madrid game

Zaher is 13, and his biggest dream is simple: to play football again. Now his favourite player, Real Madrid's Vinícius Júnior, has sent him a message that he is unlikely to forget.

The Brazilian forward has invited Zaher to a Madrid match and recorded a video of support for him.

What happened?

Zaher lost his legs two years ago in a drone attack in Khartoum, Sudan's capital. His mother, Habibah, was with him when it happened. "I looked at him and he was bleeding, there was blood everywhere," she remembered.

After his story became known, mother and son moved to Cairo. There, Zaher had an operation and was fitted with prosthetic legs. In a news report, he said Vinícius is his favourite footballer and that he hoped to meet him one day.

The report reached the player through Real Madrid, and he answered with a video.

What did Vinícius say?

"I've been told your story," he begins. "I know how hard these last months have been for you. I hope you can make good use of your prosthetics, play football again and find happiness. You deserve it."

Then comes the invitation: "I'd love you to come to a Real Madrid match and for us to spend the day together."

Zaher's reply was warm and direct: "Tell him I love him, his message has made me very happy."

The bigger picture

Zaher's story is one small part of a much larger crisis. Sudan's war began in April 2023, when fighting broke out in Khartoum between the army and the Rapid Support Forces, a paramilitary group. It triggered a major humanitarian emergency.

Throughout 2024, drone and shelling attacks in the capital killed and maimed many civilians, children among them.

Habibah says her son has changed. Getting a smile out of him used to be almost impossible, she explains, but now he laughs and shows great confidence in himself.

What's next?

No date has been announced for the visit. For now, there is an open invitation from one of Madrid's biggest stars, and a boy who has already started playing again with his new prosthetics.