Simon Adingra recalls being stranded at 12 in Benin after academy scam | OneFootball

Sunderland winger Simon Adingra says he was stranded in Benin at 12 after his family were tricked by a fake academy offer. He is now at the World Cup, having not been selected for the Africa Cup of Nations earlier this year. According to Sunderland Echo, his route to the top was anything but straightforward.

He and nine other youngsters travelled from Ivory Coast to Benin believing they would join an academy. Instead they were abandoned with no accommodation, no support and no money for food.

Faced with a choice of returning home or waiting for a chance, the group stayed together. They took odd jobs, washing plates in restaurants to earn small amounts and meals.

Their fortunes shifted when a fellow Ivorian recognised their accent in the street. He helped them secure housing and organised a basic football set-up that grew into a real academy in Benin.

Adingra later went to a tournament in Ghana where the Right to Dream academy spotted him. He progressed to Nordsjaelland and Brighton & Hove Albion, then moved to Sunderland. He scored his first Sunderland goal on 28 December 2025 in a 1-1 draw with Leeds United, then joined Monaco last winter on an initial loan worth £870,000 with an option to buy for £16 million after failing to break regularly into Règis Le Bris’ starting XI.

Source: Sunderland Echo