Scandinavian tour inspires the dream

Popyeni Kiva Akwenye, a midfielder for Julinho Athletic Football Club, recently embarked on his first soccer match in Europe. The Julinho team from Rundu participated in the age category B14 in Gothia Cup 2025, held from 13 to 19 July in Gothenburg, Sweden. The Gothia Cup is the world’s largest and most international youth football tournament.Each year, around 1900 teams from 75 nations take part and they play almost 5000 games on 112 pitches.Akwenye experienced his first away from home match in Cape Town, in a warm-up to their departure to Europe, and he was able to compare various playing techniques and tactics.He has grown into the love of soccer since a very young age. “I was so excited to take part in my first international match and I look forward to seeing how other players from around the world play on the pitch. “The weather had an impact on my performance, but we pushed through and because of our training, we’ve gotten used to the various pitches.Julinho Athletic FC played their first match against Surte IS FK at Furulunds IP and was able to slide with a 3-0 victory.“Team work is so important. A goal scored by one is a goal scored by all and this victory started our string of matches on a good note,” he said.Attributing his inspiration from French defensive midfielder Ngolo Kanté, his support does not lie far away from the African continent.“My favourite local team is obviously Julinho Athletic FC and internationally I support Real Madrid CF,” he mentioned.The Gothia Cup was not the only international match that he took part in, but also the Dana Cup, which followed a week after – Denmark’s largest sporting event and one of the largest and highest-ranked youth tournaments in the world which commenced from 21 July until 26 July.With this only the beginning of his soccer journey, his dream remains to play in the big leagues.“My dream is to play on a professional level in the premier league; however, as I am reminded every day, academia comes first and finding a balance is important,” he noted.

Scandinavian tour inspires the dream

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Republikein 2026-02-03

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Scandinavian tour inspires the dream

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Republikein 2026-02-03

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