LifeBogger presents the Full Story of a football genius who is best known by the Nickname; ‘Moh‘.

Our version of Victor Moses’ Biography, including his Childhood Story, brings to you a full account of notable events from his boyhood days right until he became famous.

The analysis of the Nigerian Football Legend and ex-Chelsea star involves his life story before fame, family life and many OFF and ON-Pitch little-known facts about him.

First, before we start, it is worthy to note that the story of Victor Moses is a journey of pain, courage, perseverance, hard work and a zeal to excel. Now let us begin;

Victor Moses Childhood Story – Early Life and Family Background:

For Biography starters, Victor Moses was born on December 12, 1990, in Lagos, Nigeria, to his father, Pastor Austine Moses and mother, Mrs Josephine Moses (Both Late).

His parents were missionaries who once lived in Kaduna State, Nigeria. They gave birth to him during their old age.

They brought Victor up in a strict Christian faith which became the central point of his life during his growing-up years.

He spent his entire childhood following and watching his parents preach the gospel of God to multitudes.

Pastor and Mrs Moses have devoted Christians who were part of an indigenous church-planting movement in Nigeria.

Victor Moses Parent’s Death – The Kaduna Riot:

It is pertinent to start that their evangelical movement was motivated by the love of God. In Kaduna, they preached the gospel and met human needs without discrimination.

They understood the risk of practising and spreading their faith in non-friendly areas.

However, one thing was uncertain. Little did they know they would meet their death while playing mediator roles in settling disputes between Christians and Muslims.

This is the case of the Kaduna Muslim/Christain Riot, which took their lives in the year 2000.

Brief about the Kaduna Riot:

The 2000 Kaduna riots were religious riots in Kaduna involving Christians and Muslims over the introduction of sharia law in Kaduna State, Nigeria.

The riot involved heavy fighting between Muslims and Christians that lasted from 21st February until 23 May 2000.

Around 5,000 deaths were recorded. Pastor Austin and Josephine Moses were among the early to have died.

How the Year 2000 Kaduna Riot started:

When in February 2000, the governor of Kaduna announced the introduction of sharia to Kaduna State, of which non-Muslims form almost half of the population.

The Kaduna branch of the Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN) organised a public protest against it in Kaduna city.

Muslim youths then clashed with them, and the situation spiralled out of control, with massive violence and destruction on both sides.

The violence happened in two main waves (sometimes referred to as “Sharia 1” and “Sharia 2”).

The first wave was from 21 to 25 February, with further killings in March, followed by a second wave from 22 to 23 May. Victor Moses lost his parents in the first wave.

Victor Moses Biography – Escaping Death and becoming a Refugee:

The Nigerian winger was 11 when his parents were killed in religious violence. This horrible incident happened in the year 2000, during a Muslim and Christian riot in Kaduna state, Nigeria.

Victor’s parents were murdered by Muslim youths who targeted them as leaders of the Christian movements in the area.

Fortunately for Victor, he wasn’t at home when the incident happened. He was out to play football with his peers in a faraway town. He was terrified upon hearing what has happened to his parents.

Besides the shock, Victor was also notified that he would be the next target. There was this urge to wipe out his entire family by these radical Muslims.

In response to this threat, Victor’s friends smuggled him to a hiding place in order to calm the situation. This was how he became a refugee.

Victor Moses Bio – Becoming an Asylum Seeker:

It was the British Government’s intervention that calmed the situation at Kaduna. They intervened by accepting only a few refugees from Kaduna.

Victor Moses was accepted because his parents were known to have been killed while playing diplomatic functions during the riot.

After the traumatic incident, Victor emigrated to the United Kingdom and sought asylum there. He had a Nigerian-based uncle who supported him.

A family from South London accepted the responsibility to take care of him. He actually arrived in England at the age of 11.

According to Victor Moses, “England at first glance looked like heaven. I felt I could see my parents there.

It was a place completely unknown to me. Somewhere so away from Kaduna. Upon my arrival, I knew absolutely no one there”

While in London, his dream to continue football and become a football star was rekindled.

Victor Moses Untold Biography Fact  – Becoming a Refugee / Asylum Seeker:

Staying in Britain as an asylum seeker was welcoming for Moses. Upon his arrival in Britain, he attended Stanley Technical High School (now known as the Harris Academy) in South Norwood.

While there, he played football in the school’s football club before being scouted by Cosmos FC for the Tandridge youth football league.

After enjoying a great youth football career at the local Tandridge league for Cosmos 90FC, Crystal Palace approached him even while he was still in high school.

The Crystal Palace FC stadium, Selhurst Park, was just streets away from his school. He played for their under-14 side.

Moses first came into prominence at 14 when he scored over 100 goals for Crystal Palace’s under 14 side.

He helped the club win several cups. In a certain final, he scored all five goals against Grimsby at the Walkers Stadium, Leicester.

He was only 14 years old at the time. His first manager, Tony Loizi, described him as “a player you can get from a one in a million chance. He was like a Cristiano Ronaldo of the club”, said Loizi.

Victor Moses enjoyed memorable moments at the club.

One of such includes a time when he took a ball up to the goalkeeper, put the ball through his legs, turned around, chipped it back over his head and then beat him again. The kid was in tears as he absolutely humiliated him.

According to Moses,

“Then the mother of the child came on and started hitting me over my head with her handbag. She asked me, why did I humiliate her son?…”

Victor Moses Bio – Rising to Fame:

Following the departure of Charles N’Zogbia, Moses was bought and became a regular starter for Wigan in the 2011–12 season.

He appeared 74 times and scored eight goals. He was Chelsea’s final attack-minded summer signing, following Eden Hazard, Marko Marin and Oscar.

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.

Victor Moses Biography – He still grief for his parents:

Victor Moses still grieves on a few occasions, especially when playing for his home country, Nigeria.

The painful memories of the Kaduna Riot, his parent’s death and how he suffered sometimes get to him.

Forgiving Nigeria for what happened to his parents:

Notwithstanding that his parents were murdered in Nigeria when he was just a teenager of 11 years old, that did not deter him from answering the patriotic call and opting to play for his fatherland Nigeria.

Having already played for England’s youth team and is seen as an upcoming star, Victor’s application to switch nationality went through several issues, mostly as regards England’s approval to move on.

The football governing body, FIFA, finally gave the push after ruling him out on several occasions. He was finally cleared to play for Nigeria in November 2011.

He made his debut in Nigeria’s 6-1 win over Liberia at Calabar to qualify for the 2013 African Cup of Nations.

Victor Moses Family Life:

Starting off, the talented footballer is married and blessed with two children. The first, Brentley Moses, was born in September 2012.

Victor Moses also has a daughter, Nyah Moses, who was born in February 2015.

He considers his kids as a lucky charm for him and always celebrates his joyous occasions with them.

Victor Moses likes to keep his relationship profile low, and for this reason, he doesn’t like to talk about his personal information.

As I write this Bio, he hasn’t announced whether he is married or not. Victor has also not opened his mouth about whether he is dating anyone or not.

However, reports indicate this pretty Jamaican girlfriend below is the mother of his children.

Victor Moses Biography – The Antonio Conte Effect:

Antonio Conte unlocked Victor Moses’s talent at Chelsea.

Since then, his path to becoming an automatic starter at Stamford Bridge has become straightforward. His sudden surge is something Jose Mourinho regrets.

Moses has recently signed a new deal to keep him in west London until 2021, which is thought to be worth around £ 100,000 per week.

The 2016/2017 season is indeed his breakthrough year at Chelsea. His patience too has been second to none. According to Moses,

 “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.”

Personal Life:

Moses is naturally shy. He likes to speak in hushed and pure British tones.

His single-mindedness and strength of character are evident, and it is easy to connect it with the manner in which he has coped with his childhood trauma.

He also reflects on those childhood years when he played football with the rest of his pals on Kaduna streets are still fresh.

“I wore no shoes. We simply barefooted, and when a small ball fell at our feet and we started out playing football,” remembers Moses.

LifeBogger Ranking:

Here are Victor Moses’ LifeBogger Rankings as obtained from several pieces of research. Victor Moses ranking was computed at the time of his prime.

Appreciation Note:

Thank you for taking out time to read LifeBogger’s version of Victor Moses’ Biography. We care about accuracy and fairness in our quest to deliver you Nigerian Football Stories. Please stay tuned for more! The History of Josh Maja and Wilfried Ndidi will excite you.