By Egbe Emmanuel E.
Arshia is an asylum seeker from Iran now living in Liverpool while he waits for his refugee status to be assessed.
(CNN)It could be an everyday scene: a teenager on a football field, in his club's colors, boots hanging over his shoulder -- but this is no ordinary young footballer and the picture hasn't been captured by your average photographer.
Arshia is an Iranian asylum seeker who lives in Liverpool and the picture of the schoolboy in the blue and black kit of his club Kingsley United has won a photography award held by Spanish football giants Barcelona.
Kingsley United, which describes itself as Liverpool's most diverse football club on its Twitter feed, is based in Toxteth, an inner city area where former Liverpool FC stars Robbie Fowler and Howard Gayle were born.
Barca says the inaugural FC Barcelona Photo Awards aim to identify work that reflects sport's "positive intrinsic values" while also helping to promote a "global photographic platform."
Arshia's picture was taken by award-winning Scottish photographer Craig Easton as part of his 'Sixteen' project which captures the lives, dreams, ambitions and fears of 16 year olds from various social backgrounds in Britain.
Judges said they admired "the sensitivity of the photo and its relevance to the issues of migration in today's society."
Arshia is an asylum seeker from Iran now living in Liverpool while he waits for his refugee status to be assessed.
'I don't let any problem keep me away from my dreams'
The judges said they also admired how Easton presents the teenager's story in an "unconventional way."
In a handwritten letter in his native tongue, posted alongside the image, Arshia tells his own story; of his love of football and school and of his dreams of being a surgeon.
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