Eduardo Camavinga can give something to talk about in the Qatar 2022 World Cup, and no one but him knows. The possibility of adding minutes in his first World Cup and standing out for earn a place in the France National Team represents a special opportunity for your personal history.
The flyer was born in Angola on November 10, 2002 in a refugee camp, in the midst of the Angolan Civil War, and will reach his first World Cup with just 20 years as part of the Real Madrid squad.
His passion for football was innate… and not so much. His father played it amateurishly, but he practiced judo with his brother, playing soccer in moments of leisure such as school recess. However, the day came when he was written down and he stood out: he had found his thing.
Reviewing his story, he recounted details of his childhood in an interview with the United Nations Refugee Commission: «Football has always allowed me to escape from my reality and today as a professional I can give my family a better life after everything we’ve been through».
At only 18, French footballer Eduardo @Camavinga is one of Europe’s brightest young stars ⭐⚽
Many already know about his exciting talent. Now hear his story from him, starting at a refugee camp in Angola. @433 pic.twitter.com/Ibrubp4iIr
— UNHCR, the UN Refugee Agency (@Refugees) August 30, 2021
In Fougères, a picturesque town of about 30 thousand inhabitants, he began to play, until in 2013 Rennes signed himone of the main clubs in the region.
In 2018, he started in the youth divisions of the club, achieving a meteoric promotion that allowed him debut a year in the first division with sixteen yearsfour months and twenty-seven days, dethroning his today partner Kylian Mbappé as the youngest player to debut in French football.
In the following season, 2020/21, he earned a place on the team and competed for the Golden Boy award, which rewards the best European under-21 player, finishing in fifth place.
In 2019, he obtained French nationality and the same year he defended the team selected for the first time in the under 21 category in two games.
His performance earned him a place in the senior team for Deschamps will test it in the UEFA Nations League, in a match against Croatia which confirmed him as the youngest player since 1945 to wear the Les Bleus shirt, at seventeen years, nine months and twenty-nine days. His first (and so far only) goal made it in a friendly against Ukraine on October 7, 2020.
His biggest disappointment was being left out of Euro 2020when the coach decided not to include him in the squad and justified it by his irregularity: «He is a young player, what he showed with us did not translate into performances with his club, for various reasons. Even with the U-21 last March he started the first game, but he didn’t start the next two. Obviously there’s a big difference between his potential and what he’s capable of, what he’s done with us and what he’s done since then, Potentially, he’s also not supposed to walk away from the scene, after that, it’s up to him to look to see what made his performances less outstanding,» he explained.
From that moment on, Camavinga continued to play matches with the U21s, but not with the senior team. In May 2022, Deschamps chose not to call him up for the UEFA Nations Leagueprioritizing Matteo Guendouzi, Boubacar Kamara, N’Golo Kante, adrien rabiot Y Aurélien Tchouaméni (recent reinforcement of Real Madrid) like their midfielders.
In 2021, Real Madrid bought his file for 31 million euros plus nine in variables and signed a six-year contractgiving the surprise while the white team negotiated for Mbappé.
In this World Cup year, he earned the right to be the first or second change in Ancelotti’s team, which gave him several minutes in the last quarter of the game as a shock and to give rest to the most veterans, such as Luka modric Y Tony Kroos. Currently, Camavinga accumulates 40 appearances, two goals and two assists as Merengue.
The performance of the midfielder will be crucial to fight for a place in the list of 26 for the World Cup in Qatar. If he manages to enter, he can perfectly find a place in the French starting team and play his first World Cupto which he arrives as one of the promises of the current defending champion.