Photo : Sven Mandel, CC BY-SA 4.0
Breel Embolo
The Swiss striker who would not celebrate scoring against the country of his birth
Born in 1997
Cameroonian roots : Born in Yaoundé, he left Cameroon as a child with his mother, first for France and then for Basel, where he grew up.
Related city : Yaoundé
Who are they?
A striker born in Yaoundé in 1997 who moved to Basel, Switzerland, as a child. He broke through at FC Basel, then played for Schalke 04, Mönchengladbach, Monaco and Rennes before joining Atlanta United in MLS in August 2026.
What made them famous
On 24 November 2022, in Switzerland's opening match of the World Cup in Qatar, he scored the only goal against Cameroon. Out of respect for the country of his birth, he declined to celebrate and raised his hands apologetically as his teammates mobbed him.
Key facts
- Swiss champion in each of his three seasons with FC Basel (2014, 2015 and 2016).
- He played at the 2018, 2022 and 2026 World Cups with Switzerland, reaching the quarter-finals in 2026.
- He won his first Switzerland cap in 2015, after obtaining Swiss citizenship.