Kylian Mbappé ends three-day visit to fatherland, Cameroon
France’s star player and Paris St Germain forward Kylian Mbappe has completed his three-day trip to Cameroon, the central African nation his father left at a young age. Mbappe arrived Thursday July 6, touring his father’s native Cameroon for the first time, as he was treated to an ecstatic welcome from fans.
Many among the hundreds who greeted the 24-year-old forward were dressed in his Paris Saint-Germain team’s football jersey for the occasion.
“It is an honour for me to be here, to be in the country of my origin, to be with my family and to see the people out there. They have shown me some love,” Mbappe said on Friday after meeting Cameroon’s Prime Minister Joseph Dion Ngute.
On Saturday he visited a school which his association is financing its renovation, before going to his father Wilfred’s village on Djelabe island, in Yaounde. Residents there hailed the French star.
“We are pushing hard for a bright future in Cameroon,” he said, adding that he had more youth projects in the pipeline. Mbappe, whose Algerian mother was a handball player, was born and raised in the northeastern suburbs of Paris.
Kylian Mbappe’s uncle Nkalla showed the interior of the family home under construction and explained the roots of the French star striker.
“Kylian Mbappe had to go back to the land of his ancestors. You know, every tree has roots, and at some point you have to return to your roots. So I think it was time and it’s a auspicious moment for him to find himself at home. And I think that, without speculating, a lot will happen in his life after that
This is where his (Mbappe) father was born, here. It used to be a dirt house”, Nkalla, said. “And then, everything was developed. You can see how the house turned out, the family decided to rebuild the house. I’m here with my nephew, by the grace of God, and you see how it is (now)” added Nkalla.
At the Bonendale school, Kylian Mbappe received a standing ovation as he signed numerous soccer shirts for a multitude of children rushing to have a moment with him.
“This school, you know, we used to go here and it was really very old and we’re very happy that he came here to renovate it because for future generations, it will be very important to go to school in such a well-developed, modern setting” Ngue Stanislas, a former pupil of Bonendale high school said. “We really want to thank him for everything he’s done for us, and we hope that he can continue in the same vein and complete the work he’s started.”
Kylian’s father Wilfried Mbappé left Cameroon at a young age to go to France, where he became a football trainer. The visit comes amid ongoing questions about Mbappe’s future at Paris Saint-Germain.
Mbappe declared last month that he would not extend his contract, which expires next year, but has indicated he wants to remain for a final season.
The club must therefore sell the player in the current transfer window, otherwise they will likely lose him for nothing when his deal ends. On Wednesday, PSG president Nasser al-Khelaifi insisted that Mbappe “must sign a new contract” if he wants to remain at the club next season.
He joined PSG from Monaco in August 2017 in a 180-million-euro ($196-million) deal and has gone on to establish himself as one of the world’s most prominent players.
Source: Africanews
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