Chelsea starlet Armando Broja lived in single room with family after fleeing war
Chelsea youngster Armando Broja had a tough upbringing before making it as a Premier League starlet.
The striker appeared in an on-camera interview with the Players’ Tribune where he spoke about his childhood and the fond memories he shared with his father.
The former Southampton loanee spoke about growing up in a single room shared with his parents and sisters. The family decided to flee the war in Albania before settling in Slough, Reading.
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He said: “We came from an Albanian background. And Albanians are quite noisy sometimes, so yeah we had quite a noisy household. My sisters, me, and my two parents – we were there for each other. My mum and dad told me stories about back then, and they had to struggle to get to where we are now. I think we lived at the back of a hotel for a while when I was born, which wasn't obviously the best.
“But we all lived in one room I believe. They probably look back and think we have come a long way. When he [dad] came back from work, he would always ask me, ‘Armando, have you done your training?’. I would say, ‘hmmm yes?’, but he knew that I was lying so he would take me out.”
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Broja continued: “We struggled like that for a few years. My parents have told me the old stories, and I’ve seen photos of those times, but the only real memory I have is of this tiger teddy bear that I used as a pillow in that one room where the whole family slept.”
“My dad did whatever he could to provide for us in those years. He started out at the bottom, doing construction work, building houses, laying brick. He was such a hard worker, so determined. There were always people ready to give him a job.”
The Albanian Civil War in 1997 was sparked by pyramid scheme failures in Albania – and it resulted in the government being toppled while more than 2,000 people were killed during the rebellion.
As for Broja, he has earned seven outings so far this season, while the campaign before he enjoyed a good spell on loan at Southampton, registering nine goals and one assist in 38 games in league and cup. Many clubs were keen on the 21-year-old over the summer, including West Ham and Newcastle, but in the end, the Albania international ended up staying with the Blues at Stamford Bridge.
In September 2020 he made his debut for Albania, which was a 1–0 home loss against Lithuania. He now has a record of four goals in 16 games for his national side.
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