Hardly any Swiss footballer has experienced more in his life than a Cameroonian. He left his parents’ country at the age of six with very little hope. He has now played over 60 international SFV selection matches and has a star status in the football business.

In a lengthy conversation with news agency Keystone-SDA, he details his daily life. He explains what drives him, where he is in life, what drives him and why he makes mistakes too. Minutes before the call, he learned that he would be working with his former Gladbach manager Adi Hütter again in Monaco.

Brel Embolo, your old friend, is now sitting on the coaching bench of Monaco.

Bril Embolo: I just greeted him and had a little chat with him. I was happy for him. We talked on the phone from time to time, but we had not seen each other since I left Gladbach a year ago. I have very fond memories of Hütter. He relied on me, he understood me. The situation for him is almost a bit similar to the situation in Mönchengladbach. Then he had to stabilize the defense. It’s the same in Monaco – we conceded too many goals.

How do you remember him?

The same strict, but calm. Discipline is important to him. He has a clear idea of ​​how his teams should play – fast forward, no frills.

How does Hutter work?

He is monsieur. Man with a heart. He doesn’t show his emotions so openly, but Hütter seems very human to me. And something radiates. He has an aura on the sidelines.

Your own arrival in the summer a year ago was not entirely simple.

I felt like a foreign body. At the first test in Southampton, everything went wrong, it was really bad. After that, it became clear that if no one here trusts me, this can become a problem for me. Solution to the problem? I have to get to know my teammates as quickly as possible. Who plays behind me, who is next to me, who is in front of me? How do you interpret the game? So I ordered each player’s sequences from a video trainer and studied them at home. It was the only way to meet the club’s demands.

What does wishful thinking sound like? For you, but also from the point of view of the club.

I’m not destined to play solo at the forefront unless I have two very fast flanks to back me up. Others go to the first post faster and better. I prefer to come from behind. Many people forget that I worked at the center for many years. Schalke felt that I was in good hands on the flank. I was pushed back and forth in positions. With “Muri” (coach of the national team Murata Yakina), I played the first tournament at the World Championships in the classical nine. It was at Hütter that I became a club level striker for the first time. As a result, responsibility also increases. Focus is different.

What do the Monegasques expect from you?

Paul Mitchell (Sporting Director) explained to me in no uncertain terms what they meant. I was taken as a leader, as a winner. It’s all about making a statement, including in the wardrobe. They see me as a link, an important mosaic in the big picture – a person who can make a difference under pressure, with my mentality.

Their last game with the national team ended badly in a 6-1 rout at the World Cup against Portugal.

I was very disappointed. Right after the World Cup, I spent a few vacation days with Granita’s family. For the first four days, I felt completely overwhelmed, just exhausted. We lost to Portugal without Cristiano Ronaldo and Cancel. I didn’t believe it when I saw the composition. The missed opportunity to create something big worried me a lot.

What do you remember about the stormy duel with Cameroon?

As a rule, these were extremely energy-intensive games. I like to remember the physically difficult fight with Cameroon. I howled for my goal, the team surrounded me for almost two minutes. Everyone spoke well to me. It shocked me. There is so much personal history.

Footage from the game against Serbia is still present showing you and your colleagues defending Captain Xhaku on the pitch in solidarity.

It was a statement. But, to be honest, this game also brought me to the limit. So much has happened – before, within ninety minutes, after. Wow. There was so much poison there. We were happy after the victory, but everyone knew that with one more goal we could win the group and play South Korea in the 1/8 finals.

Can you explain the collapse in the round of 16 six months later?

Several players were exhausted. There were also tactical changes. Not everyone felt comfortable with it. But we made mistakes that had nothing to do with the system. Q: Unlike the French, the Portuguese never underestimated us in the 1/8 finals of the European Championship. They broke through. They knew exactly what we were capable of on a good night. It speaks to our progress. But the result was brutal.

About the future of the team. EM 2024 is getting closer. You must have been following the last games and maybe even the U21 finals.

Of course, I watched the U21 European Championship. We are at an exciting point. From Zeki (Amduni) we have a boy who made the leap. He’s a plus. I’m impressed with how he moves, how he can adapt. I’m glad we have a man like him. He has already exposed himself to the international wind. He can already help the team.

Have you noticed another talent?

Yes, centre-back YB. Amenda has class. I trust him with a good career. He has size, speed and good foot feel. He has European perspectives. He may even become a theme for the senior national team in the near future. My mother knows his mother well. This is one of the reasons why I have been following Aurel more closely for a long time.

You have just sunk into your old home for a few days. How is Cameroon?

The game of the World Cup changed a lot again. My perception of myself is completely different. I heard all sorts of things for four days. Some were happy, others were not at all happy that I knocked them out of the tournament. Many follow me, proud of my path. Others turn away and definitely do not want to be photographed with me anymore. The importance of football is enormous. What this sport is doing to Cameroon I have felt keenly for ninety-six hours, perhaps more clearly than ever before.

You were received by the president of the association, Samuel Eto’o.

It was good talking to him. He didn’t accuse me of anything. “I’m not angry with you, Bril. Instead, we should have done a better job,” he said. I was annoyed by the meager circumstances in which the association lives, how modest everything is. I told him that as a human being I would like to give something in return.

In what sense?

You have to provide dimensions. In my parents’ homeland, hundreds of thousands are interested in football, my sport, my path. Some wear swiss shirts because they are fans, because they don’t give me my success. Many have nothing, only hope for better times, for development. Sport gives them strength – and me too. Her enthusiasm and willingness to see the positive is contagious. I take a lot with me to Europe.

What touched you the most?

You are grateful for the opportunity to see an international level athlete, for the opportunity to talk with him. It is important to just be there, show yourself, and not just hide behind tinted windows. It wouldn’t be in my nature. I am grounded even if you have to distance yourself from time to time because everyone has different problems.

What keeps you coming back to your hometown of Yaoundé?

Connection with my family and, of course, with my foundation. But it’s also good to break out of our European system from time to time, to dive into a completely different world, to deal with the African reality. It is important for me to never forget where I come from, where I spent the first years of my life. I want to spend this time again and again.

You… (Embolo interrupts)

And you know, I have a vision, a big goal: a charity game in Cameroon, with Granit (Xhaka), Manu (Akanji), Yann (Summer), League Africans and. They would have to sacrifice two days of their lives. I’m working on it, that’s what I mean. Money is fleeting – so I want to tell you a huge story. Something that they will always remember, something to cling to, that gives them the confidence that they can achieve great things. I lived here until the age of six. Other life seemed light-years away. I dreamed of being like the great Samuel Eto’o. He inspired me. He is one of the reasons I made it to the top. Positive feelings are incredibly important in this country – hunger is omnipresent, it is exhausting.

Back to another reality, to the negative headlines about you over the past few months and years. How did you digest these stories?

The story of Corona touched me. I never expressed my opinion. The internet was circulating untruth. And so it remained. Other texts that were corrected or corrected were no longer discussed publicly. There was only one direction. This really annoyed me. People were interested in really big headlines. I come from a family that struggled to eat almost every day. I have already taken the measure of humility with me. That’s why the weeks of attacks bothered me – because in the end they were aimed at the existence of my family and the relationship was lost.

I play football because it inspires me. But I also play for my family to help them. That’s why I get up every day and work hard. Criticism is part of it. I know this and do not dispute this point. I would like to remain authentic. Also in contact with people. I can stand by.

An opinion is always required. If you then express a clear opinion, other observers will find it inappropriate, rude, wrong. They bring the bad to the fore. That’s why I often don’t express myself anymore because I want to avoid all that stress. I want to enjoy football and I am willing to pay for my attitude. But first of all, I’m just not that important.

And the recent problem with the Basel trial?

I realized that I’m not just supporting my family’s name. Because of my reputation, I also represent part of Switzerland. I realized that I can and should not afford almost anything under the magnifying glass of the public. I play one of the most popular sports. There are specifications and ideal images that need to be better executed.

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