Arabic version: فينيسيوس جونيور يبعث دعماً للفتى السوداني زاهر

According to BBC News, Real Madrid winger Vinícius Júnior sent a personal video message to Zaher, a 13-year-old Sudanese boy who lost both his legs in a drone strike during Sudan’s civil war.

Zaher, who had named Vinícius as his favourite footballer when the BBC met him in 2025, watched the message in Cairo after undergoing surgery, rehabilitation and months of training with new prosthetic legs. The Brazilian player told him he hoped he would return to playing football and find happiness.

Vinícius also invited Zaher to attend a Real Madrid match and spend the day together. Zaher said he hoped he could obtain a visa and accept the invitation, adding that the message had uplifted him.

Zaher was injured in 2024 while he and his mother, Habibah, were selling lentils in Khartoum after becoming trapped by fighting between Sudan’s army and the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces. A campaign led by UK-based lawyer Dena Latif raised £45,000 for his medical care, enabling him and his mother to travel to Cairo.

After treatment and psychological support, Zaher and his mother have returned to Khartoum. More than 17 million children in Sudan need humanitarian assistance, Unicef says, while at least 4,300 children have been verified as killed or maimed.