Dango Atara

My name is Dango Atara. I was born in Ouagadougou in Burkina Faso. I play football for Bournemouth in the Premier League. For me, faith comes first. It comes before football. Faith allows me to overcome many challenges, to respect others, to be stable in everything I do. Whether it's on the pitch or off it, it allows me to be calm in my daily life.

When you find yourself in another town, having the community shows that you are not alone. And as I came to the mosque, everything went well for me with the football.

I wouldn't say that Ramadan is difficult. It's more mental, because personally, I'm used to doing it. It's more the lack of water.

I wake up at 4.30 a.m., I do my ablutions, and I've already got the food, which has been prepared by the club chef. Then I go back to bed for an hour or so. Then, after training, I say my prayers and sleep for another hour. Everyone asks me, how are you feeling? Is it going well? They try to understand me and not demand too much, even though I still try to do my sessions as usual.

You have the opportunity to pray with other people, to meet new people. It keeps us focused on religion.

Still to come... I wouldn't say that Ramadan is difficult. It's more mental because personally I'm used to doing it. It's more the lack of water.