"I honestly suffered more from anti-Catalan sentiment than racism in Spain. I never suffered racism."
"when you made your debut in the first team, you had to invite someone cool that I can't mention here... otherwise they shut you down."
"When I arrived, Barcelona paid you a lot of money to be a kid. I've been bringing money home since I was 13. The money Barça paid me was enough to help my parents, my sisters. I started paying for my sisters' college."
Jean Marie Dongou joined Barcelona in 2008 at age 13 and developed into a powerful, decisive forward within La Masia. He made his first-team debut on December 6, 2013 under manager Gerardo Martino. Early contract wages enabled Dongou to provide significant financial support to his family and pay for his sisters' college, carrying responsibility from age 13. Dongou faced intense pressures breaking into the Barcelona first team, including social expectations tied to debut celebrations. He experienced more anti‑Catalan sentiment than racism while in Spain. Dongou retired from professional football in April 2023 at age 28 and is now 30.
Read at Barca Universal
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