It was not meant to be a nighty-minutes-of-fame story for Ethiopian footballer Tadiwos Tessema’s  journey to the top scene after earning his first appearance in Ethiopia’s national team in an CAF Africa U-17 Championship qualifier aganist Tunisia but was supposed to be worth more than for a youngster who aspired to living a football dream.

As things stand, Tessema’s role has turned from hero to zero, his football prowess now at the deep end for a boy who now sleeps on the streets with his dog and a ball on his hand, clubless having lost his place in the Ethiopian team due to a lack of action over the last few years due to poverty.

Born in a poor family,Tessema was brought up by her mother who is so disadvantaged to a point that she is not able to cover his expeditures. Since he was born he has never met his father,something that tells the amount of suffering the boy has undergone.

Now at 20,the young Tessema still with amazing talent has no option but to just get stuck on the street with no shelter and food.

Tessema’s story is one, that of neglected talent struggling to be accepted in  his own  country having already shown great skills that made top Ethiopian journalists compare him with Argentina’s star Lionel Messi.

Tessema’s rise in football has been rapid. He went from talented teenager to national team player to being one of most talked about attackers in year 2013.

After the Tunisia match no one cared about him,something that tells about poor football administration in the country that has seen most of the talents going into waste.

A natural striker,Temesse is now feeling isolated by the nation with no one familiar in football circles to lean on.

Additional reporting: Timotios Baye Mengistu