PSG-Lyon: Karl Toko-Ekambi, the pride of the 13th arrondissement of Paris

In early August, two days after the elimination of Juventus with Lyon in the Champions League, Karl Toko-Ekambi had come to the Boutroux stadium, on the edge of the ring road, to visit the young people (U17) of Paris 13 Atletico (ex-Gobelins) . A habit at home. “He comes to us as soon as he can. He has never changed, he has remained humble, natural, he behaves the same way today as when we were little, ”underlines his childhood friend Nicolas Ducteil, coach of the under-17s and assistant in N2. in the Parisian club of the 13th arrondissement.

The man in the form of Lyon (7 goals, 4 assists) has remained very attached to his neighborhood at Porte d’Ivry. His stronghold extends from the streets of the Château des Rentiers to Chevaleret where he grew up. His family has now moved. But it has kept a lot of ties in the 13th arrondissement. His brother and sister also run a hairdressing salon there. “As soon as Karl has free days, he comes back to his neighborhood,” explains Namori Keita, technical director of Paris 13 Atletico. He never broke away from his basic friends. He kept it simple, he’s not a high roller. He never took himself for another. He didn’t do a football training center, but he did the one for life. “

“He needs to find his roots”

The 28-year-old Cameroonian international, whose mother works in insurance and the father is a hotelier in Douala, lives very far from the clichés of football business. “He matured, evolved, but he never forgot where he came from, he kept the same relationships, underlines Giovanni Mbianda, one of his friends, employee of Paris FC. He needs to find his roots. He comes to do tournaments with us, he sends tons of shirts and places. He closely follows his old clubs, the Gobelins and us at Paris FC. When we beat Caen (3-1), he sent me a message straight away. “Until 2014 while still playing at Paris FC in National, Toko-Ekambi was part of a rap group MZ under the pseudo MC Loka, with his friends from the neighborhood. “He sang a lot,” remembers Namori Keita. But for me, he had more of a future in football. Younger, he was already very calm and reasoned, thanks to the education he received. “

His mother has long given priority to studies. “She wasn’t laughing at all with that,” smiles Nicolas Ducteil. “He was a decent student, but she was always behind him,” says Namori Keita. For almost two years between 2008 and 2010, the striker had put football on hold. To keep him away from the temptations of the neighborhood even if, according to his friends, “Karl has always remained serious and has never done any big mistakes”, his mother had also sent him to a boarding school in the Eure. He consoled himself by martyring his friends, ball in foot, by playing indoor at the Marcel-Cerdan Gymnasium, still in the 13th arrondissement.

“He wants to score against PSG”

“He was on top, he also came to see us play at the weekend and we all thought it was a mess that he stopped,” explains Nicolas Ducteil, who played a decisive role in his recovery. “I was the one who went to convince her mother,” says Namori Keita. The discussions were complicated, because she did not want to know anything, she wanted him to devote himself fully to his studies. I had to show a white paw (sic) telling him: I vouch, I take all the responsibilities. I asked Nicolas (Ducteil) to take charge of it. His mission was to take him directly from the stadium to his house so that he did not linger too much in the neighborhood. His mother did not agree to these conditions. When Karl became African Champion with Cameroon, she was very proud and thanked me. “

After taking over at the Gobelins, Toko-Ekambi revealed himself a few tram stops further than his 13th arrondissement, at Porte de Montreuil (20th) at Paris FC with the highlight of the elimination of PSG in Gambardella in 2011 .

His market value then exploded with his transfers: 400,000 euros from Paris FC to Sochaux in 2014, 1 million euros from Sochaux to Angers in 2016, 18 million from Angers to Villarreal in 2018 then 14 million euros in Lyon this year. “I have always had my quiet little life next door, with my friends, even when I started making money. I stayed fresh, because I was not born in football, in my head I was free, ”Toko-Ekambi explained to us a few years ago.

“Everything he has, he went to get it, we never gave him anything,” says Nicolas Ducteil. After his missed opportunities in the Champions League semi-finals against Bayern, some might have doubted. But not him. He has a different history with football than most pro players and he uses it as a force. His start to the season shows that he has a lot of character. He is in good shape and I know he wants to score against PSG, a club he has always supported. The only regret for his friends, not being able to attend the match.