In Their Own Words: Domingos Quina

In his own words, Domingos Quina explains his journey from Africa to Europe and his ambitious plans to follow in his dad's footsteps...

I was born in November 1999 in Guinea-Bissau, which is on the western side of Africa. I lived there up until I was eight and it was a very different experience. I’d say it was quiet. There was nothing much happening and I was young so I would just play around and go to school. There was nothing else to do. I always played football and I think that’s what a lot of young people do there.

My dad Samuel was a professional footballer. I never saw him play because by the time I was old enough he had retired due to a problem with his knee, but he played over 100 games for Benfica and was also a Portugal international. I’ve watched videos of him on YouTube and even though he sometimes gives me bits of advice nowadays, he just lets me be myself and learn from my own mistakes.

When I was eight I moved to Portugal to play for Benfica. I went to boarding school and after I’d finished training I’d go straight to the park to play another game of football. At Benfica we played 7 vs. 7 and we would play in every position so we had a lot of fun. I would probably say that was the best time of my football life so far because it was so enjoyable. Most of the people I played with were my friends and we all knew each other really well.

When you’re younger you don’t realise how serious football will be when you get into the first team. It’s not just about having fun, you have to win games. Some people are cool with not playing or being on the bench but for most players it’s hard. You have to learn to deal with it and try to grow up.

I think I was 13 when I came to live in England. My dad said I should come here as it might be better for me to learn. For the first year I was here by myself, which is quite big for a 13-year-old but I was playing football so I didn’t think it was that hard. The language barrier was the hardest thing but I didn’t think about it too much. My teammates were nice and I had no-one I could speak Portuguese with so it forced me to learn English quick.

When I first came over I thought I was going to Man City but on the second day I went to train at Fulham for one or two days and they decided they wanted to keep me. My agent at the time told me he could get me into Chelsea though and I ended up going there and signing for them for a few years instead.

I was 16 when Chelsea offered me a pro deal. But I was seeing older players who I thought were really good – like Nate [Chalobah], Jeremie Boga and Charly Musonda – not playing in the first team so I decided maybe it was better to go somewhere else where I’d have more chance of playing. It was brave but I will always back myself and if something comes to mind I just do it and see what happens.

I should add that I’m really happy to see some of the players I knew at Chelsea now playing for the first team – people like Mason Mount, Tammy Abraham and Callum Hudson-Odoi. I’m really happy they’re doing well and it’s good to see that it’s changing there now because it wasn’t this way for a long time.

Anyway, that’s when I decided to go to West Ham. I went there during pre-season and they said they believed I could make it to the first team pretty quick. One day my agent called me and said I was going on the pre-season tour and I was shocked, to be fair. He asked if I was ready and I said ‘of course’. From then on I was always training with the first team.

During my first season at West Ham I was on the bench 14 times in the Premier League but never got on. In the second season Slaven Bilić left and David Moyes came and I played four games but none in the Premier League. My aim had been to play in the league as quick as possible but that was not happening.

I felt they didn’t trust me so I decided I wanted to leave. They offered me a new deal but if I wasn’t playing I didn’t see the point in signing. When I came back from the Under-19 Euros with Portugal that summer I knew I didn’t want to go back because I wasn’t happy there anymore and I wasn’t going to be able to be myself, so I decided to look for a new club.

I had other offers – I could have gone to Spain or some other Premier League clubs. I was waiting on another Premier League club to do their business but that didn’t happen. At the last minute the deal didn’t go through so my agent called me on transfer deadline day saying ‘What do you think about Watford?’

I didn’t think about it twice, I just said yes. I knew straight away I wanted to come here because I wanted a new start. I came straight to the training ground and signed the deal really quickly just before the deadline. To be fair, Watford didn’t even tell me if I was going into the first team or not but I trusted myself and believed I could do well here.

I’m very happy with how my first year here went. Making my Premier League debut and scoring a goal against Cardiff as well – that was probably my highlight. I wasn’t expecting to win Young Player of the Year so it was a surprise when they read my name but I was happy. It shows I did something good and I was blessed. I have the trophy right in front of my TV in the living room so I can see it every day!

The only disappointment was missing some games at the end of the season with injury. The FA Cup final and the Under-20 World Cup were in my mind and I could’ve had an injection but in the end I agreed to an operation because it could blow up at any time. Overall though last year was a wonderful year for me, but this year I’m looking to step it up.

People say I’m very confident on the ball for a young player but that’s just the way I play. When I don’t get the ball I feel like I’m not in the game. I feel like I need the ball so I can be myself. I’ll make mistakes but the more I get the ball the sharper I get. I’m not scared because every player makes mistakes, that’s the way I think about it.

I’m 19 and I’m still learning. Last season was my first proper one in the Premier League and I thought I just had to be myself and show people what I can do because some people might like it. If I feel like I’m being me, I’m cool with that.

I’d say Nate is my best friend in football. I knew him from before but I never really used to talk to him at Chelsea because there were lots of players there. The good thing when I got here was the way he welcomed me to the club. Now we play Fortnite every day and he’s like a brother to me.

We have so many good midfielders here – Nate, Capoue, Doucouré and Cleverley too – and we’re all fighting for one or two positions. We have to keep being ourselves in training and showing the manager we’re here for when he needs us. We can’t do more than just doing well in training and not complaining when we’re not playing. If we train as hard as we can and look after ourselves, anything can happen.

My ultimate dream is to play for Portugal in the senior team. Everyone that plays football wants to represent their country; they want to make their family proud and themselves proud. I hope one day I can reach that level and play for the national team.

I don’t put pressure on myself though. If it happens it happens. I know how good the Portugal squad is and I understand that in football it takes time. I’m not rushing anything, I’m just doing me, trying to play as much as I can and show people what I can do. Hopefully I can get there one day though and do what my dad did nearly 30 years ago.