Mbappe's African truth: "I'd play for Cameroon"
.jpeg)
Reading Time: 2min | Fri. 03.04.26. | 10:47
Real Madrid star embraces his roots, drawing a line between heritage, identity and the badge
LeBron James did it in the USA, and Aurelien Tchouameni has done it in Europe. He founded his YouTube podcast The Bridge Show to build bridges between different worlds. And of course, with the contacts he has, the constellation of guests had to justify his football reputation, so his guest in the latest episode was Kylian Mbappe.
A perfect guy for that, one could say, because he plays for France but has strong African roots - his father is Cameroonian and his mother is Algerian.
So the first question was, who would he represent if he didn't play for Les Bleus?
"I would play for Cameroon, and I would send Ethan (brother) to play for Algeria," the Real Madrid star said with a smile.
"As the years have passed, I've become much closer to my Algerian family."
Despite never visiting Algeria, Mbappe admitted he is eager to make the trip, addressing public perception around his connection to the country:
"People think I don't care because I've never been there, but I've visited Cameroon many times."
Later, he explained his stance...
"People should choose in advance. A country is not the same as a club. I sometimes hear statements about a 'sports project'. No! I was born in France, I'm French, and everything I did I did in France. Yes, I have Cameroonian and Algerian roots, but I grew up in French culture. I was good and they took me immediately".
hat if they didn't?
"At no point did I act opportunistically. I didn't say: 'I'm waiting for France, so if it doesn't happen...' No, it wasn't like that at all. At the club level, you can choose, even if the fans don't like it, it's your career, your choices. You choose the country with your heart, it's something you have to feel."