TA explores Mbemo’s childhood💪 He has been a master of multiple sports since he was a child, and his father has participated in the World Weightlifting Championships

Mbemo joined Manchester United this summer and came into the spotlight. The Athletic went to Avalon, Mbemo’s hometown, to explore Mbemo’s childhood story and find a real Mbemo.

TA title: Looking for the real Mbemo

Sister Maeva Guchi saw the rumors on social media. Everyone was talking about her brother Mbemo moving from Brentford to Manchester United, but he never revealed anything to her.

When she forwarded these messages to her brother, Mbemo replied: "I laughed so hard."

Then he asked: "Is there anyone next to you?" Maeva, a nurse, was at work at the time and walked outside to answer the phone.

She remembers her brother saying: "Don't tell anyone, those are not rumors. Manchester United is interested in me, and I am very excited."

At that time, Mbeumo was living in his mother's house, located in the countryside about two hours south of Paris. After Maheva, who is two years older than Mbemo, returned home, the siblings sneaked into a room. She asked in confusion: "Why Manchester United? Their league ranking is not ideal!"

Last week, Maheva, who was sitting on the sofa of her home in a remote village in France, couldn't help but smile when she recalled this past incident. She admitted that she knew very little about Manchester United at the time and only watched Brentford games.

Mbemo, his sister Maeva and mother Angelique

Mbemo told her about the glorious history of Manchester United. Mbemo said firmly: "This is a club that can make a comeback. Their tactical system is very attractive. I have made up my mind. I am a man of my word, and I must go this time."

But Brentford rejected two offers from Manchester United in succession. Maeva said to his brother: "You can't transfer now." Mbemo replied decisively: "It will definitely happen."

Maeva recalled: "He really wanted to go to Manchester United, and all he thought about was Manchester."

Mbemo found it difficult to open his mouth to his mother Angelique Gooch. He didn't know how his mother would react. It was not until one night before going to bed that he finally said: "I have something to tell you."

My mother asked uneasily: "What is it? Don't scare me..."

"I am going to Manchester." Mbemo solemnly announced.

When his transfer worth 65 million pounds plus 6 million pounds in add-on clauses is officially finalized, the 26-year-old Mbemo hopes to have his family with him at Manchester United's Carrington training base.

Compared with Mbemo’s career-defining move from Troyes in France to Brentford in the English Championship in 2019, this trip to Manchester was slightly smoother. Back then in Troyes, the brother and sister lived next to each other. Maeva was studying at the time, and Mbemo had just signed his first professional contract with the club the year before, but he was going to a foreign country.

When Mbemo wrote a farewell letter to Troyes fans, Maeva admitted that she cried on the spot. She added with moist eyes: "I lost my brother who was with me day and night. Although it is difficult to accept, he is full of joy. This is life. For my mother, this is even more unbearable."

Mbemo's agent booked a flight to London for the Gucci family, but the family never took a plane. "We had no idea how to fly! We were completely disoriented," recalls Maeva. She didn't have her passport, didn't know the parking area at Paris' Charles de Gaulle airport, and almost missed her flight.

But they finally arrived and stood firmly by Mbemo's side.

"The Athletic" visited Avalon, Mbemo's hometown. This town with a population of just over 6,000 seems to be in the wilderness, with vast fields stretching for miles across the Burgundy region. TA visited his family, friends, former teammates, teachers and coaches, hoping to restore Mbemo's true appearance.

Maeva said of Manchester United: "This is indeed another world. You can feel completely different pressure and the expectations are higher. No mistakes are allowed, you must go all out."

During the Manchester United vs. Sunderland game, Mbemo's family sat in front of the TV to watch the game together. Only eight minutes into the game, Mount scored against his opponent. Maeva shouted: "It was Mbemo who passed the ball!".

The television broadcast captured the drizzle in Manchester. The whole family laughed and joked about the British weather, but Mbemo loved the rainy atmosphere. In the 22nd minute, he cut in from the right and took a long shot, but unfortunately it was saved by the goalkeeper.

Sheshko's goal after half an hour expanded the score to 2-0, and Maeva settled on the sofa with peace of mind. Like any ordinary fan, chatting about the 2-1 victory over Chelsea, goalkeeper Lamenz's first start, Onana's departure, and why Manchester United did not strengthen the midfield.

During the intermission, the conversation turned to Mbemo’s obsession with comics, how to teach himself piano online, his habit of playing chess on his mobile phone before games, and his carefully trimmed beard. Maeva joked: "Don't touch his beard! It is sacrosanct!"

Mbemo has strict requirements on himself. Maheva, who talks to his brother almost every day and checks in after the game, said: "I am happy to win, but I am not sure whether he is 100% satisfied with his performance. Anyway... I just ask him directly!"

When he was a child, looking out of the kitchen window of their apartment, Mbemo's mother could always see Maheva and Mbemo playing in Blue Park, where there are basketball courts and football fields. Mbemo's parents divorced when he was young, and the children would spend weekends with their father Jean every other week.

Maeva recalled with a smile: "Mbemo is such a nuisance! He makes trouble all the time, and his mother can't do anything about him.

"The only effective punishment is to ban him from playing football. But even then, he would kick a teddy bear or a paper ball. He could even use a roll as a football, anything he could find, but I always protected him. Biro analyzed: "In the early days, he easily lost control of his emotions and could not manage his emotions properly. This sometimes affected his game performance and he would give up easily."

Dewuku clearly remembers that Mbemo often called his mother crying, eager to return to Avalon. But those closest to him encouraged him to persevere. Dewuku said: "He never had a mental breakdown. He had the perseverance to persevere."

When Mbemo returned to Avalon for the holidays, Maeva noticed the physical and mental transformation of his brother. Coach Biro gradually helped Mbemo build up his confidence. Biro emphasized: "This is the key to his reaching the top. I am not surprised by all his achievements. He is eager to succeed in football and devotes all his efforts to it. He has grown from a boy to a great man and an outstanding professional player."

The 2018 Gambadeira Youth Cup final became a turning point in Mbemo's career. He scored two goals at the Stade de France, something that was achieved by Monaco's Kylian Mbappe two years ago. While everyone hailed Maeva as a remarkable achievement, she and her mother were used to his goal-scoring performances.

My sister said: "He knew his direction and the responsibilities he shouldered, but my mother and I didn't really realize this at the time. We knew nothing about the world of professional football. We once asked him: 'What if football doesn't work?' He answered categorically: 'It will definitely succeed.'"

That summer, the 18-year-old Mbeumo signed his first three-year professional contract with Troyes and officially entered the first team. A year later, he joined Brentford for a club-record transfer fee of 5.8 million pounds and signed a five-year contract.

Until 2020, Mbemo has always been selected for the French youth teams of all ages. But during his two-year drought, he accepted a call-up from his father's native Cameroon. Biro explained: "His competitors at the time were Mbappe, Dembele and Koeman."

Before switching nationalities to represent Cameroon in the World Cup in Qatar in 2022, Mbemo met his idol Eto'o.

"We are realizing the dream of every young football boy through him," said Grenier, who played for Avalon's adult team with Pongil and Creighton. Grenier, Pongier and De Vucu now work as coaches and tutors at Avalon, and Creighton is a supermarket delivery driver. "Such miracles are not common, especially in a small town like Avalon. We are proud of him and he has never given up."

Whenever Mbemo returns to Avalon, he always visits his alma mater and childhood club, patiently answering children's questions and signing autographs as souvenirs. He bought a new home for his mother as a surprise. Despite his busy schedule, he still maintains regular contact with Bockel and Biro: he personally visited Biro when he became a father, and on Boxing Day last year he invited his mentor and family to a traditional Christmas dinner in Brentford.

Maeva commented: "When you see him walking on the street, his aura makes you feel that he is full of pride, but when you talk to Mbemo, you will find that he is calm and humble, without any arrogance or self-centeredness.

"Money has not gone to his head. He never changed and never forgot where he came from, his family and his original intention. He always remained humble. "