Vinícius Jr sends video message to Sudanese boy who lost both legs
The Real Madrid winger spoke to 13-year-old Zaher in Arabic, a boy who lost both legs in a drone strike.
Real Madrid winger Vinícius Júnior sent a surprise video message in Arabic to 13-year-old Zaher, who lost both legs in Sudan's civil war. In the clip, the footballer addresses the boy directly with the words "Zaher, mahaba", meaning hello Zaher, while Zaher watches on a television screen in a dark room in Cairo.
Zaher lost his legs in a drone strike and had little access to specialist treatment. He had dreamed of walking and playing football again. A reporter first met him a year ago in the ruins of Khartoum, and on this visit the family greeted the reporters warmly in their Cairo apartment.
The United Nations children's agency, Unicef, says more than 17 million children in Sudan need humanitarian assistance, and that at least 4,300 have been killed or maimed since fighting between the army and the Rapid Support Forces began in 2023.
Why it mattersThe message reached a 13-year-old boy who lost his legs in Sudan's war and is now living in Cairo with his family.