"?Bournemouth winger Max Gradel is doing quite well for himself these days, having suffered a rather rough upbringing.
The 29-year-old has revealed that his love for football was all that kept him going as a child, as it provided an escape from the hardships he faced, especially at the hands of his abusive father.
Gradel moved to Paris to live with his mother when he was 10, later moving to the UK and eventually ending up playing for Leicester City. Now at Bournemouth, and playing under Eddie Howe, the player could be part of something special this season.
"When I was young, my dad never wanted me to play," he told "?Daily Mail.
"He would tell me 'go to school, go to school'. I used to get some injuries by playing football on the street and he wasn't happy.
"Sometimes he beat me up but I couldn't help it. I had to go play again - even though I knew I was going to get beat when I got home, I'd still go again and again.
Max Gradel: 'My father used to beat me"? he stopped because one day he would've killed me' https://t.co/qOqmbMkmiJ pic.twitter.com/utKceGU5Va
"I understand what he was thinking, but for me I would die for football, so even though he beat me up I still played. For me, there was nothing else I could have done.
"Back home it was difficult. We had a big family and we'd eat maybe once a day. So for me when I'd go and play football I was happy - I don't need to eat!
"I had this friend. He was this disabled guy and he had his chair so I had to push him everywhere he went."
"When my dad found out he beat me up and said; 'I don't want to see you with this man again'.
"When he found out he beat me up bad. But after a time he understood that there was no point beating me up every day because one day he would end up killing me. So he decided to leave me alone.
"Things like that stay with you, and it makes me go forward every day when I'm thinking about it."
Gradel also holds a deep appreciation for English football, and is proud to be one of the few African players who are considered 'homegrown' in England.
"England means a lot to me," he added. "I made my career debut here, I played in the youth team and we won the Academy League with Leicester.
"It's funny because now some of the players say 'How come you are homegrown?'
"I think it is very rare to see an African player being a homegrown talent, but that time meant a lot to me, so for me it is special."