Ex-Premier League star plays in Slovenia's second division: the story of Saido Berahino.

According to The Sun: At one time, numerous giants of the English Premier League vied for Saido Berahino's signature, but his recent move has led to playing in Slovenia's second tier.

Despite not reaching the expected heights, Berahino's journey remains unusual, especially considering his humble upbringing.

The 32-year-old Berahino was born in Bujumbura, the capital of Burundi, two months before the start of the civil war that lasted for 11 brutal years.

As a child, he was forced to gather plastic bags to make a ball since his family couldn't afford a real one.

At the age of four, he lost his father to the war, finding out about it only later.

Berahino fled to the UK to be with his mother, siblings, and sisters in Birmingham when he was just 10 years old.

In an interview with FourFourTwo, he shared that he had to live in a foster family until it was confirmed that his mother was indeed his mother through a DNA test.

“It was hard. When I arrived, no one could contact my mom.

“I had to go to the police station where it turned out her contact details had changed.

“They eventually got in touch with her, but I was sent to a foster family while they checked if she was really my mom, conducting DNA tests and blood analyses.”

After Berahino adapted to life in the UK, he started playing football at school, which later led to him participating in Sunday leagues, and eventually he secured a place in the West Bromwich Albion academy at the age of 11.

At the Baggies, he began to gain popularity, with his debut occurring when he was 19 years old.

Career and international appearances

Berahino also represented England at youth level from U16 to U21 and was considered one of the nation’s most promising young talents.

However, his dream of playing for the England national team later did not come true, despite being called up by Roy Hodgson in 2014 after an excellent start to the 2014/15 Premier League season.

He did not get to fulfill his dream of playing at Wembley, as he remained an unused player in both matches against Scotland and Slovenia.

Later, Berahino decided to return to his home country of Burundi, which marked a significant emotional chapter in his life.

“I later decided to help Burundi qualify for the Africa Cup of Nations 2019, which we managed.

“When I sang the national anthem, I felt my father's soul – it made me cry.

“Burundi is a beautiful place, although it still lacks modern technology, but we are working on it. My mom has also returned there.”

Throughout his career in England, Berahino played in the Premier League, Championship, and League One for teams like West Bromwich Albion, Stoke City, and Sheffield United.

When he was at the peak of his career, his name was often associated with a move to Tottenham Hotspur, but the deal never materialized.

Perhaps if that had happened, his career could have taken off.

Instead, the 18-time international for Burundi could not reach the heights of football and spent the last three years of his career playing in India, Cyprus, and Slovenia.

Career of Saido Berahino

A brief overview of Berahino's career...

• West Brom: 2004 – 2017
• Northampton (loan): 2011 – 2012
• Brentford (loan): 2012
• Peterborough (loan): 2012 – 2013
• Stoke City: 2017 – 2019
• Zulte Waregem: 2019 – 2021
• Charleroi (loan): 2020 – 2021
• Sheffield United: 2021 – 2022
• AEL Limassol: 2022 – 2024
• Rajasthan United: 2024
• Tabor Sezana: 2025

Thus, Berahino's career, which began with great promise, turned out to be challenging and not as straightforward as it might have seemed from the outside. His story reflects the path of many athletes who, despite difficulties, continue to hope for new opportunities and achievements.

As for his future, given the current stage of his career, Berahino may still have a chance to return to a higher level if he can realize his potential in new teams. Whether he can find new inspiration for the revival of his career remains to be seen.