How the "revenge" Karl Toko Ekambi was able to reveal himself late

• Decisive during each of his first three appearances in the OL jersey, Karl Toko Ekambi could be the right pick for the winter transfer window in Lyon.
• The former Villarreal striker is about to confirm his promising return to Ligue 1 this Wednesday (7 p.m.) against Amiens.
• Ten years ago, the Cameroonian international was however on the verge of dropping football, evolving with the regional U18s of the Parisian club FC Gobelins.

Karl Toko Ekambi is in full express integration. Two weeks after joining OL, the striker on loan from Villarreal (Liga) has already scored two goals and caused the penalty for qualification in the Coupe de France, last week in Nice (1-2). It has not always been so easy for the 27-year-old, who faces Amiens on Wednesday (7 p.m.) at Parc OL.

Upset by a “poorly cared for” knee and the relegation of his U16 national team from Paris FC, Karl Toko Ekambi had thus stepped back with football in 2008. “He had been disappointed with football and he was more interested to music, ”recalls Namori Keita. While coaching at FC Gobelins, a club in the 13th arrondissement of Paris, where the Neo-Lyonnais grew up, he managed to convince him to come and play with his neighborhood friends in U18.

Despite the defeat, we will retain, as a positive point, the 2nd goal in 2 games from @ Ligue1Conforama for Karl Toko Ekambi on a superb work by @ HoussemAouar ⚡ #OGCNOL pic.twitter.com/09POsQyEVr

"I kept telling him that he had nothing to do with us"

“We were not yet thinking of a professional future for Karl, we wanted above all to allow him to structure himself to enter his life as a man. It was always a boy posed and remained close to his childhood friends, with a great openness of spirit ", continues Namori Keita, who could not count on" KTE ", then in boarding school in Eure, that for Friday evening training. One of his best friends, Nicolas Ducteil, recounts the two seasons of the Cameroonian international at the lowest regional level (PH).

It was a complicated time for him and he had put soccer aside a bit. I kept telling him that he had nothing to do with us, we were Sunday players [laughs]. Even without being demanding in training, he made big differences. The rest of his career did not surprise me at all. All these moments have given him a sacred character. He knows that he struggled and he knew how to force doors. "

"We had to push him to his limits"

Starting with those, five kilometers from his home, of Paris FC, which he found in 2010. On the program the national U19 then his first steps in National with a first federal contract. Christophe Taine, his coach during his most prolific season in Paris (14 goals in 2013-2014 in National), remembers a "lovable boy with a big character". "His potential was under-exploited until then and he was my spearhead all season with his speed, his percussion, and his scoring instinct, insists the current coach of Evreux (N3). He had to be pushed to his limits but he was a real fan of the ball. "

"@FCSM_officiel: Karl Toko Ekambi, who has just left Paris FC to sign at Sochaux, will wear the number 19. pic.twitter.com/uDhHtsR1zG"

An enthusiast who knew how to make his winding journey a real strength. “Karl was then very revengeful but also very mentally fresh”, underlines Christophe Taine. His ascent continues until the discovery of the professional world, at 22 years old in Sochaux (L2).

"Karl was very determined and he knew how to take the others with him"

"Many coaches are looking for this type of player who is far from the stereotypical and overly assisted style that can sometimes be found in a training center," said Albert Cartier, his coach in 2015-2016 in Doubs. I immediately felt that Karl was an authentic, hyper determined boy, and that he knew how to take others with him. He had no time to lose and he wanted to win the Cameroon national team as in Ligue 1. "

Toko # Ekambi🇨🇲🎙 “Winning #CAN was great. We surprised everyone. #CAN is the most prestigious competition to win for an African player and I did it for my first participation. It's extraordinary and it will remain a big memory »pic.twitter.com/9tRi40892y

The two objectives of his “dashboard” quickly achieved at the forefront of the SCO of Angers (24 goals in the elite between 2016 and 2018), with the added bonus of the CAN 2017 won with the Indomitable Lions, the “fighter” Karl Toko Ekambi is going to compile 16 goals in a year and a half in La Liga. And in three weeks, he will take his first steps in the Champions League, in a shock against Juventus. This shows how far we have come from the regional U18s and their "Sunday" friends at FC Gobelins.

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