Five European footballers You Don’t Know Have African Roots

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The game of football is an exceptional game that is loved by majority of sports lovers around the world. We have thousands of great players who have touched different football pitches and some of these players are legends.

This will surely come as a shock to some of you who are fans of these great footballers. Africa has given birth to thousands of amazing and great sportsmen who you may hardly believe they are from the continent.  We have made a list of world class players who are from Africa and play for countries in Europe

Matuidi

Matuidi was born to an Angolan father, Faria Rivelino, and a Congolese mother, Élise. Rivelino emigrated to France at a young age.  Today, Matuidi has become one of the players that can be named when we are talking about great players who came from Africa.

 

Paul Pogba

Another player is Paul Labile Pogba which might actually come as a shock.  Pogba currently plays for the United and made news when he was signed by the club.  The footballer was born to Guinean parents.

Read Also: Five Athletes You Never Knew Were Africans

Vincent Kompany

Vincent Jean Mpoy Kompany is a Belgian professional footballer who plays as a central defender and captains both English club Manchester City and the Belgium national team .

His father, Pierre, is a Congolese immigrant to Belgium and serves as his agent. His mother, Jocelyne, is Belgian. His brother, François Kompany currently plays for Roeselare, having previously had spells at Germinal Beerschot and Macclesfield Town . Kompany also has an older sister.  Kompany married his Mancunian girlfriend, Carla Higgs, a lifelong Manchester City supporter on 11 June 2011, and together they have a daughter, Sienna, who was born on 10 June 2010, and a son Kai, who was born in October 2013

 

Danny Welbeck

Danny Welbeck plays Arsenal and represents  England national team . He was to Ghanaian parents, Welbeck was first spotted by Manchester United as a six-year-old. At eight years old, he impressed with local side Fletcher Moss, and was finally picked up by the Manchester United youth academy. This expression of Ghanaian discontent is understood in the context of Welbeck’s upbringing – the Arsenal forward is the son of Ghanaian parents. Many Ghanaians were disappointed at his choice to play for the Three Lions after Black Stars officials had scouted him since 2008, and others scoffed at his decision: “Why play a bit part role for England, when he could have been a star in Ghana?”

 

Hatem Ben Arfa

Ben Arfa was born into a family with a football history. His father was the former Tunisian international footballer Kamel Ben Arfa. Ben Arfa began his career in France at ASV Châtenay-Malabry. After two years at the club, he moved a few miles north to Montrouge CF 92. In 1998, Ben Arfa joined sporting club AC Boulogne-Billancourt . The following year, he was selected to attend the Clairefontaine academy . While at Clairefontaine, he was a part of A la Clairefontaine , a documentary series which chronicled the lives of some of France’s top young footballers during their time at the academy.

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