The inspiring story of Zaher, the boy who lost his two legs in Sudan and received the support of his idol Vinicius Jr to play soccer again.

Image source, Joe McNally/BBC. Caption, Zaher is one of the millions of children whose lives have been devastated by the Sudanese civil war. Author, Nawal Al-Maghafi. Author title, Senior Correspondent for BBC News. Reporting from, Cairo. Publication date 18 minutes ago. Reading time: 7 min. In a dark room in Cairo, a 13-year-old boy stares intently at the television screen, almost without blinking. On the screen appears Real Madrid star forward, Vinícius Júnior, addressing the young man directly in Arabic: "Zaher, Mahaba" - Hello Zaher. Zaher barely moves, his eyes wide open, fixed on his favorite footballer. We met Zaher a year ago in the ruins of Khartoum, the capital of Sudan. He was a small and quiet child, marked by war, one of the millions of children whose lives have been turned upside down since the country's army and the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF) began fighting in 2023. According to UNICEF, the United Nations children's organization, more than 17 million children need humanitarian assistance in Sudan. UNICEF claims to have verified that at least 4,300 children have died or been mutilated, although it believes the real figure is much higher. Zaher lost both legs in a drone attack. With limited access to specialized treatment, he dreamed of the day he could walk and play football again. More than a year later, upon entering an apartment in the Egyptian capital, Zaher greets us with a huge hug. His mother, Habibah, hugs us too. Image source, Vinícius Júnior. Caption, In his video message, Real Madrid star Vinícius Júnior wishes Zaher all the best and says he hopes he will play football again soon. The boy we remembered as shy and withdrawn is almost unrecognizable. Now he is confident, bold, and always smiling. And he stands tall with two new prosthetics on his legs. Skip More Read more and continue reading More read End of More read For almost a year, Cairo, Egypt, has been his home. Here he underwent surgery and months of rehabilitation, and now he can walk again and kick a ball. When we met him in 2025, he told us that his favorite footballer was Vinícius Júnior. We were able to let the Real Madrid star know, who said he wanted to send a personal video message of support. Reunited in Cairo, we saw them together. "I heard your story. I know how difficult the last few months must have been for you," the Brazilian footballer begins. Vinícius has become a prominent voice fighting racism in football and supporting the Black community. A smile spreads across Zaher's face when the player tells him: "You are a very hardworking Black man. I truly hope you make the most of your new prosthetics, that you play football again, and that you find happiness. You deserve it." Then comes an invitation: "I would like to invite you to a Real Madrid match. We can spend the day together." Overwhelmed, Zaher gets up and leaves the room. Moments later, he returns wearing his new Vinícius Júnior jersey. He hopes he can get a visa someday and accept the offer. "Tell Vinícius I love him very much," he says. "His message has encouraged me a lot." His mother, Habibah, confesses that she feels that "the whole world is cheering for Zaher and wishing him success." A childhood destroyed by war. Image source, Liam Weir/BBC. Caption, Zaher in 2025: his legs were amputated after being hit by a drone attack. Zaher lost his legs in 2024, when he and his mother were trapped in Khartoum. Much of the city had become a battlefield, devastated by the fighting between the Sudanese army and the Rapid Support Forces. Food and essential items were scarce, and the family did not have enough money to flee. To survive, they sold lentils on the street. One morning, while Zaher and his mother worked side by side, a drone attack occurred. "I looked at him and he was bleeding. There was blood everywhere," Habibah explained last year. She was devastated. "He would wake up and ask me, 'Why did you let them amputate my legs?' I didn't know what to tell him." At that time, Zaher moved in a wheelchair among the rubble of his neighborhood, passing by burnt cars, abandoned tanks, and destroyed houses. Before the war, Zaher loved football. After the drone attack, he could only play on his knees, a painful process that exposed him to the risk of severe infection. "I wish I could have leg prosthetics so I could play football with my friends like before," he said at the time. It seemed unlikely that this would happen, but his story had a huge impact far beyond Sudan, triggering a wave of support from people all over the world. Help from strangers Among them was Dena Latif, a Sudanese lawyer residing in the UK. After seeing the BBC report, she helped launch an online campaign that raised 45,000 pounds (about US$60,000) for his medical care. Unable to receive the treatment he needed in Sudan, Zaher had to leave the country, which was not easy at all. Neither he nor his mother had passports, and their birth certificates had been destroyed during the war. Image source, Joe McNally/BBC. Caption, Zaher has learned to use his new legs thanks to months of support from doctors and physiotherapists in Cairo. After months of planning, he and his mother were able to fly to Cairo, where an apartment had been prepared for them with food in the fridge and scheduled medical appointments. For the first time in years, his main concern was no longer simply how to survive. Zaher underwent another surgery, followed by months of physiotherapy and training to learn how to use his leg prosthetics. He also received psychological support to help him process the trauma he had suffered. "He was shy, a little depressed, sad," says Dr. Bintelmuna Eltayeb, one of the doctors who treated him. "It was almost impossible to make him smile, but now he is seen laughing. He has a lot of self-confidence." His transformation has been both psychological and physical, according to his associates, and Dena comments that Zaher now faces life with a determination that has surprised them. An opportunity to be a child again While we spent time with Zaher, he laughs and jokes, thus recovering part of the childhood that the war has robbed him of. He is eager to try new things, from riding horses to cycling, and he wants to be a pilot. He has not yet played football, but he is looking forward to returning to a playing field with his friends in his hometown. For Habibah, seeing her son regain his self-confidence has been a huge relief. However, she worries about his future, his education, and how he will be received in Sudan, a country still plunged into civil war. Image source, Nezar Abdullah/Anadolu via Getty Images. Caption, Khartoum has suffered severe damage, with many buildings destroyed. A state of emergency has been declared in his hometown, Khartoum, and the Sudanese army has regained control. However, throughout the capital, buildings have been destroyed, burned, and looted. Concerns about security persist, and 41% of Sudan's population suffers from high levels of food insecurity, according to a recent statement by the United States and 30 other Western countries. The group also warned of a possible famine. "I hope Zaher's story doesn't end with him," says Dena. The lawyer hopes his recovery will attract more attention and funds for the thousands of Sudanese children who have suffered life-changing injuries. Zaher and his mother are already back in Khartoum. They hope that now that the city is more stable, he can receive revisions and adjustments for his leg prosthetics as he grows. Despite the safety they found in Cairo, they miss their home, their family, and their friends. And while Zaher has had the chance to recover his childhood, millions of Sudanese children are still waiting for theirs. Additional information from Scarlett Barter and Abdelrahman Abutaleb. This article was originally written in English and we used an artificial intelligence tool to translate it. A BBC journalist reviewed the text before publication. More information on how we use AI. Download the new BBC World Service app. Choose BBC News Mundo and receive news alerts, documentaries, and analysis, all in one place. Important: the new app is not available in the UK or the United States. You can also follow us on YouTube, Instagram, TikTok, Facebook, X, and on our WhatsApp channel. And don't forget to subscribe to our newsletter here to receive a special selection of our best content every Friday.