Strategies for sustaining professional careers in European leagues by African male soccer players: analysis of their migration and mobility experiences

African players experience challenges including frustrations, loneliness, stress and discrimination in their professional careers. This study relies on scores of interviews with male players to analyse their mobility experiences and understand how they endured challenges and constraints in sustaining their professional careers. The literature supports explaining their strategies by gaining insight into players’ abilities to forge ahead and succeed. Results reveal that some players adopted responsive strategies to manage emotional and problem-focused issues to secure their teams’ positions and excel. Others lamented inadequate support services, including bureaucratic and administrative processes needed to enhance their integration. Adopting holistic and effective supportive measures, with counselling services, pre-departure briefing, and orientations, can minimize certain challenges and constraints. Athletes’ narrations contributed to framing Migration Experience Analysis (MEA) to guide stakeholders in educating and sensitizing footballers seeking professionalism abroad. This can safeguard football labour migration to make it respectful and impactful on the continent.