Moses's arrival at Chelsea proves a victory for his strength of character

DAVID HYTNERtalks to a player who was forced to leave Nigeria aged 11 after the murder of his parents

TO VICTOR Moses, the images have a dream-like quality. The Nigeria winger had prayed since the beginning of July for the completion of his transfer from Wigan Athletic to Chelsea and there had come a point when he feared that it would not happen.

But, in a whirlwind week at the end of August he signed for £9 million, was introduced to the Stamford Bridge crowd before the Newcastle United game, felt his eyes widen and his stomach flip during his first training session and then, the finale, watched the European Super Cup against Atletico Madrid as an unused substitute.

Moses speaks in shy, hushed tones but they do not disguise the awe and excitement that he feels. His arrival at Chelsea marks a significant staging post in his quest to reach the game’s summit, even if it pales in comparison to his broader journey from the depths of personal tragedy. His parents were murdered in Nigeria and Moses fled to England as an 11-year-old asylum seeker. He feels that they look down on him with pride.

Moses’s focus is on the future and the opportunities that he intends to grasp. He hopes to make his debut at some stage of the grudge fixture at Queens Park Rangers today, although to give it such billing feels crass in the light of what he has lived through.

The 21-year-old bristles with quiet determination. He was Chelsea’s final attack-minded signing of the summer, following Eden Hazard, Marko Marin and Oscar, who joined at a total cost of £60 million, and with Juan Mata and Ramires also vying for prominence in Roberto Di Matteo’s line of three behind the main striker, the competition for places is ferocious.

It is reasonable to wonder whether Moses, who was Wigan’s main man last season and is becoming something similar for Nigeria, will enjoy the minutes that a talent like his wants and needs. He had no hesitation, though, in signing up for the challenge.

“I don’t really know if it was Di Matteo or if it was the chairman or whoever but I knew that Chelsea were interested in me and that was it, really,” Moses says. “For a club to come and get you, they are going to use you at some stage. I know that there are a lot of players at Chelsea but if I do get my chance, I just have to grab it.”

Moses’s single-mindedness and strength of character is evident and it is easy to connect it with the manner in which he has coped with his childhood trauma. His father, Austin, was a Christian pastor in Kaduna, and his mother, Josephine, helped with his work.

Violence, though, was depressingly familiar between the Muslim majority and the Christian minority and when riots erupted in 2002, Moses’s parents, who were obvious but unflinching targets, were attacked in their home and killed. Moses was given the news as he played football in the street. He became a target, too, and, after being hidden by friends for a week, he was sent to England, where he was placed with foster parents in south London. Upon his arrival in the country, he knew nobody.