France’s star player Kylian Mbappe, on Thursday travelled to Cameroun, where he was treated to an ecstatic welcome by Cameronians.
The visit afforded the PSG forward to re-visit his country home where he left at a tender age.
On Saturday he visited a school which his association is financing its renovation, before going on to his father Wilfred’s village on Djelabe island. Residents here hailed the French star.
“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.” Manga Alfred , engineer
According to AFP, Kylian Mbappe’s uncle Nkalla took him on a tour of the family home while it was still under construction and told the story of the French football star’s origins.
“This is where his (Mbappe, ed.) 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.
Kylian Mbappe was greeted with a standing ovation and a sea of children eager to touch him as he autographed football shirts for them at the Bonendale school.
“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.”
The prolific forward had a match against FC Vent d’Etoudi of Cameroon’s second tier suspended on Friday due to safety concerns. Wilfried Mbappé, Kylian’s dad, left Cameroon when he was young and settled in France, where he worked as a football coach.
See Photos from the visit
Paris Saint Germain striker and France captain Kylian Mbappe (C) wears traditional clothing as he visits his father, Wilfrid Mbappe’s, village in Djebale on July 8, 2023. (Photo by Daniel BELOUMOU OLOMO / AFP)A group of residents wave at Paris Saint Germain striker and France captain Kylian Mbappe (C) as he leaves by boat escorted by the Rapid Intervention Battalion (BIR), an elite military force and an army combat unit of the Cameroonian Armed Forces, to visit his father, Wilfrid Mbappe’s, village, in Djebale on July 8, 2023. (Photo by Daniel BELOUMOU OLOMO / AFP)Paris Saint Germain striker and France captain Kylian Mbappe (C) wears traditional clothing as he visits his father, Wilfrid Mbappe’s, village in Djebale on July 8, 2023. (Photo by Daniel BELOUMOU OLOMO / AFP)Paris Saint Germain striker and France captain Kylian Mbappe (C) wears traditional clothing as he visits his father, Wilfrid Mbappe’s, village in Djebale on July 8, 2023. (Photo by Daniel BELOUMOU OLOMO / AFP)Paris Saint Germain striker and France captain Kylian Mbappe (4th R) speaks while attending a ceremony with the village the chief and notables as he visits his father, Wilfrid Mbappe’s, village, in Djebale on July 8, 2023. (Photo by Daniel BELOUMOU OLOMO / AFP)Paris Saint Germain striker and France captain Kylian Mbappe (C) arrives to visit the Bonendale’s bilingual public school, which was renovated by the Inspired By Kylian Mbappe Foundation (IBKM), in Douala on July 8, 2023. (Photo by Daniel BELOUMOU OLOMO / AFP)Paris Saint-Germain and France national football team star striker Kylian Mbappe (2nd R) plays basketball with Cameroon players at the Club Noah sports complex in Yaounde on July 7, 2023 during a charity visit and a tour of his father’s village. (Photo by Daniel BELOUMOU OLOMO / AFP)Paris Saint-Germain and France national football team star striker Kylian Mbappe (C) speaks during a press conference with Cameroon’s minister of sport and physical education Narcisse Mouelle Kombi (C-L) in Yaounde on July 7, 2023 during a charity visit and a tour of his father’s village. (Photo by Daniel BELOUMOU OLOMO / AFP)Paris Saint-Germain and France national football team star striker Kylian Mbappe (2nd R) leaves after a meeting with the Prime Minister of Cameroon Joseph Ngute at the Prime Minister’s office in Yaounde on July 7, 2023 during a charity visit and a tour of his father’s village. (Photo by Daniel BELOUMOU OLOMO / AFP)
