Paris Saint-Germain forward Kylian Mbappe on Thursday arrived in Cameroon on his first trip to his fatherland.
Mbappe’s visit includes charity work with deaf children and a trip to his father’s village, Djebale.
Most of the Cameronians who trooped out to welcome the French star were dressed in his PSG outfit while a group of traditional dancers performed in his honour.
The footballer waved to the crowd who were kept at a distance by the police, before being whisked away in a tinted SUV.
“We are proud to see our Cameroonian brother. We want to offer him a very warm welcome,” high-school student Vannel Kunde, 16, enthused.
The French footballer is also due to meet some of the country’s officials, including Prime Minister Joseph Dion Ngute, according to PSG in a statement suggesting that the footballer would also discuss projects he would like to set up in Cameroon.
Mbappe, who is also captain of France’s national team, will stay during his visit lasting several days at a hotel complex belonging to the family of French former tennis champion Yannick Noah, who lives in Yaounde.
On Friday, he is due to visit a school for youngsters who are deaf and hard of hearing in the capital’s suburbs.
On Saturday he will head to the economic capital, Douala, to visit another school and then go to Djebale, his father Wilfried Mbappe’s village. His father left Cameroon at a young age for France where he became a football trainer.
The trip is an opportunity for Mbappe to visit in Yaounde and Douala two schools supported by his personal charitable foundation, Inspired by KM, his team in Paris said in a statement.
Arsene Pinlap, 37, one of those waiting to catch a glimpse of Mbappe at the airport, spoke of “a pride” as a Cameroonian in welcoming the star to the west African country.
“But it’s also an honour to be able to see the best player in the world,” said the president of the PSG fan club in Yaounde.
Another fan, 18-year-old schoolgirl Armelle Ntsama said: “It’s a great joy for us, the children who love football.”
