Amanuel Gebremichael braved the odds to represent Ethiopia

From humble beginnings, Amanuel Gebremichael braved difficult times before making the breakthrough to wear his country's colours at the TotalEnergies African Nations Championship (CHAN).

He was born in Gambela, an Ethiopian border town close to the Nile in northeastern Africa.

As a kid, Gebremichael says he faced a lot of difficulties because football development mostly occurred in Ethiopia's capital city of Addis Ababa and its environs.

"My neighborhood was in the border of Ethiopia. It was difficult to make a name beyond there. It was difficult to find what we wanted and it became overtly hard to overcome that problem," the Saint George forward told Cafonline.

Determination and hardwork took Gebremichael to unprecedented heights. He became an elite player, representing Ethiopia in the 2017 Council for East and Central Africa Football Associations (CECAFA) championship, and most recently, the CHAN finals.

The forward overcame his adversities due to sheer determination.

"I overcame the problems because of confidence and I believed in myself.

Gabremichael's skills shone at one of the many school competitions he participated in as a kid. He was selected and joined the Dashen B youth team;

"Since then I've worked hard with the help of some coaches, I've reached a better level," Ethiopia's rising star opined.

There was something special about Amanuel Gebremichael from his days of the Dashem Beer Youth Team, his boyhood club.

"Playing childhood football was fun especially as there were many school tournaments where I lived."

The Walia Ibex of Ethiopia collectively did not attain their objective of making the next round of CHAN 2022 in Algeria. Amanuel Gebremichael and co fell short in group A after two defeats to Algeria, Libya, and a draw against Mozambique.

Amanuel Gebremichael played 256 minutes, starting all three games for the men of Wubetu Abate. His next aim is to get a senior call-up and make himself a regular before the 2023 TotalEnergies Africa Cup of Nations in Cote d'Ivoire.