I was born in Egypt and am going to America to play college football – my grandma wants me to be as big as Mo Salah

3 weeks ago 17

EGYPTIAN NFL prospect Yahya Attia’s grandma knows nothing about sport – but has dreams that he can be as big as Mo Salah.

Attia is set to embark on the next step of a dream gig in the NFL after signing for the Colorado Buffaloes in college football.

Yahya Attia is headed to America to play college football[/caption]

Attia is known as ‘The Bulldozer’ and weighs in at 330lbs[/caption]

The 330lb unit known as ‘The Bulldozer’ was born in the town of El Reyad before his family moved to Vienna, Austria when he was three years old.

He used to play football as a kid, but an injury led him towards eventually trying his hand at American football and discovering he was pretty good.

Attia moved to England to join the NFL Academy in Loughborough last year – where he lived on site and worked on his football skills as well as academic grades.

And that has earned him an offer from Colorado University, where he’ll study and chase a career in the NFL.

He told SunSport: “My grandma always said ‘I hope you’re going to be like Mohamed Salah one day’ but she doesn’t know anything about sport.

“I was born in Egypt in a small town where opportunities are limited.

“Growing up in Austria was a bit challenging because my parents didn’t speak the language and I was still young.

“I’m the oldest son so I respect my dad for letting me leave home and come to England.

“They told me I had to stay in Austria and go to university there but I told them to believe in me and explained to them to give me one year and see how well I can do.

“When I got my first college offer I was a bit sad because my family weren’t here and I couldn’t celebrate with them.

“Then I got the second offer, and when I explained to my dad who Colorado were, he told me he trusted me and I made the right decision.”

Attia, who plays on the offensive line, continued: “I was always one of the bigger guys. When I got injured, I had to stop playing soccer and got even bigger and heavier.

“My friends convinced me to start engaging me in sports again and that’s when I started playing American football for the Vienna Vikings two years ago.

“I started playing for the Vienna Vikings two years ago.

“Back in Austria, I thought I was a good player because I was one of the bigger guys.

“A coach from the NFL Academy followed me and I posted my highlight – I didn’t even know he was an academy coach.

“When I came here, everyone is as big and strong as me!”

Attia will play on the offensive line – where his job is to protect the quarterback.

When I’m on the field, I feel like a bulldozer.

Yahya Attia

There will be added pressure on him given the quarterback Shedeur Sanders is coach Deion Sanders’ son.

Attia also takes with him a strong football nickname – “The Bulldozer.”

He explained: “I haven’t spoke to coach Prime yet. I didn’t know that much but I knew he was a professional at two sports and is a Hall of Famer.

“When I’m on the field, I feel like a bulldozer.

“Some of my friends gave me the name in Austria – only a few people call me it.

“It’s not even because of football – it’s because I was one of the bigger guys.

“People just liked to call me a bulldozer because of the way I looked. It came before I started playing football, so I just took the name with me to the football scene.”

Attia will play for Deion Sanders at the Colorado Buffaloes[/caption]

Mo Salah is a national icon and Egypt’s most famous sports star[/caption]

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