199 Little Heroes: Miral from Palestine

Her dribbling technique is so good and she’s so fast with the ball that everybody wants to play with the 11-year-old Miral. The tough girl only wants to play soccer. She lives with her parents in the Palestinian West Bank, where the high wall cuts them off from Israel. Yes, it can make it feel like you’re living in a prison, but fortunately you can also use the wall to kick your ball against.

Miral talks frankly and enthusiastically about her life in these often difficult, sometimes dangerous circumstances. Young as she is, she’s well aware of her situation. Meanwhile, her life revolves around soccer. We see her balancing the ball at home, dribbling in the street and scoring during a game at school. In between, she talks about her family, dreams and the joy of life, but also about religious matters, and of course about the beautiful game. Her big dream? To be a professional player on the national team.