What makes Breel Embolo so special?
Breel-Donald Embolo, by his full name, is a footballer of Swiss and Cameroonian nationality. Technically, he is only Swiss, as stipulated in article 31(a) of the Official Gazette of the Federal Republic of Cameroon (the country’s constitutional book): “Cameroonians of full age who voluntarily acquire or retain a foreign nationality shall lose their Cameroonian nationality.”
This law was made on the 11th of June 1968. this law has been put in place by many African countries after the colonialism and imperialism era by the Western to gain back their independence and for their citizens to pick a side and not be allowed to carry the passports of other countries.
However, there has been an exception to that. In 1985, Saudi Arabia football authorities initially refused to hand over the trophy of the Afro-Asian Cup after losing against Cameroon in the tournament’s final. The reason was that the legendary Cameroonian star Roger Milla was ineligible to play for the indomitable lions (Cameroon football team nickname) as he traveled to Jeddah on a French passport; therefore, he could not have a Cameroonian one. It seems like being a footballer sometimes puts you above the law.
Embolo was born on the 14th of February 1997 in Yaoundé (the capital of Cameroon and the second largest city of the country after Douala). At age six, he and his mother moved to the northwest of Switzerland in Basel. According to his mother, the family quit Cameroon because:” there were no prospects for the family in Africa.” 13 years after his arrival, in December 2014, he was naturalized as a Swiss citizen. In an interview for the Bundesliga website from his time in Germany, he declared, “ I’m probably 60 percent or 70 percent Swiss now, even more so than I’m African.” And this is something I can relate too well.
Like him, I, Jerry-Morel Takou Nguelo, was born in the Central Hospital of Yaoundé, but three years after him, in 2000, we spent most of our life in Switzerland. Like him, I moved to the West part of Switzerland in Fribourg with my mother when I was six. Like him, I obtained Swiss citizenship years after arriving there.
As a young man, arriving in a foreign country to us in many ways, integration can be a complicated task. Being accepted in a different society can be a real challenge. For both Embolo and myself, football has helped us to come to terms with all this and to focus on what’s important to us. Playing football allowed us to understand the Swiss mentality alongside the multitude of languages spoken in the country. More generally, playing a sport such as football helps make you connect with your environment.
When I started playing football, I had no Swiss player I could look up to as a role model. As a Cameroonian and playing upfront, Samuel Eto’o was the example to be followed. But when it came to “La Nati” (Swiss team nickname), I could never see myself in it. Growing up, every child dreamed of playing for their country and winning the World Cup, but I found it hard to believe that someone who looked like me might one day play in that team.
Over time, things steadily improved. Johan Djourou was the first black player I saw emerge in the Swiss team. Born in Ivory Coast, he was one of the first reasons I wanted to follow my Swiss national team. Then, other black players emerged throughout the years, such as the midfielder Gelson Fernandes from a Cape Verde background and the striker Blaise Nkufo, born in Zaire (now called Democratic Republique of the Congo). In 2015, when Embolo made his first senior appearance with Switzerland. He was just like me. A striker with a Cameroonian background. Watching him for the first was inspiring; it was like being on a coaster, heart pounding and breathless because someone I shared so many similitudes with can be so successful at his “work.” Not only did we have similarities in our background, but someone playing in the Swiss academy system simultaneously, I found myself compared to him by several of my coaches and teammates. It was a comparison that I found pleasant because he was Basel’s most talented player then. The proof is that he is currently FC Basel’s biggest seller at €26.50 million, aged just 19 when he left for Schalke 04, ahead of players like Mohamed Salah (€16.50 million) and Manuel Akanji (€21.50 million). We were both forwards. We were both tall and pacey. We both have that ability (him indefinitely better than me) of carrying the ball and, independently of the number of players applying pressures on us, still have a good hold of the ball due to our pace and strength. Embolo showed me that someone like me could play — and thrive in the Swiss football set-up. He made me want to think that one day I could possibly be as good as him. At family dinners, family members also believed it might have been possible for me. There was always that uncle who had probably had one too many drinks and shouted, “You are the next Embolo, and we’re going to see you on TV.”
Breel Embolo is a role model to me for things he does off the pitch and on it. Off the pitch, at only 18, with the help of his mum and his lawyer, he set up the “Embolo Foundation” intending to support refugee children in Switzerland and help disadvantaged children in Cameroon and Peru (Peru because his lawyer is from there).
In addition, he speaks two of the three languages regularly in Switzerland (French and German), and he is one of the few who can answer journalists in their native languages — another great sign of integration and why he is so liked in the country.
To show how much Switzerland has adopted him, he was the first Swiss National player to have his own song. It is called “Oh Embolo, Oh Embolo,” sung to the tune “The Lion Sleeps Tonight.”
Switzerland has long been a multicultural country and team, mainly from the Balkans (Xherdan Shaqiri, Granit Xhaqa, Valon Behrami, etc.). Coincidence or not, since the arrival of Breel Embolo on the national team, many black players with dual nationality have featured in the first team. Players such as Denis Zakaria, Manual Akanji, and Jordan Lotomba are changing the common perception of what a Swiss footballer looks like. At the last Euro under-21, the Swiss team had 13 players out of 23 with dual national status.
Years after years, the strength of the Swiss team lies not so much in each player’s individual quality but rather in the perfect cohesion between all the cultures present and the pride of always wanting to give everything to defend the Swiss Cross.
After growing up thinking a person like me could not play for the Swiss National Team, future generations now have only the sky as the limit. It is a powerful testament to the progress Switzerland as a country has made by embracing inclusivity and breaking down barriers. The game will be enriched by the talent and unique perspectives of players from all backgrounds.
Jerry-Morel Takou Nguelo
