FCL winner Beloko explains his world: “My mother didn’t want me to play football”

Beloko has often been faced with such groundbreaking decisions in his young life. It’s amazing how many changes in direction he has already made. He has already laced up his boots for eight different clubs. He even made his Serie A debut with Fiorentina. «Suddenly the coach told me to get ready. I couldn’t believe it and was very excited,” he recalls.

“I thought that was the best”

Long before Beloko could even think about life as a professional footballer, there were countless obstacles to overcome. He was born in Ebolowa, a city in southwestern Cameroon. He spent the first eleven years of his life there. It is a time marked by modesty and love of the ball.

“We always played football outside. Without shoes. “That was the best part,” says Beloko enthusiastically. His eyes light up when he talks about it. They always tried to imitate the professionals on TV. But he always imitated someone he never saw as a footballer: Roger Milla – the legendary striker from Cameroon.

School was actually a priority

In 2011, Beloko’s life changed completely. He has to say goodbye to his father, his siblings and friends. His mother, who had lived in Aigle for some time at the time, brought her son to Switzerland. “Not because of football, but to go to school,” he explains. Education instead of sports was her mother’s motto. “At first she didn’t want me to play football.”

So Beloko goes to school. In another country where he knows no one except his mother. But he doesn’t like textbooks. The only thing he has in his mind is the ball with which his first friendships are formed. Just like his new friends, he also wants to be part of a club. That’s why he keeps talking to his mother until she gives in and registers him at FC Aigle. He was stubborn – ‘testa dura’, Beloko says and laughs.

Beloko alone in Florence

Word is quickly spreading around Lake Geneva that a certain Beloko has a lot of talent. He moved to Lausanne-Sport via Vevey before moving to Sion’s youth team in 2015. Another three years later he ended up in Florence, where he learned Italian. He is only 18 years old. Once again he leaves for a completely different country with a different culture. This time even the language is foreign to him. Moreover, his mother remains in Switzerland. “So I was all alone.”

The beginning is correspondingly difficult. He enjoys the dolce vita more in the Tuscan capital. Despite his Serie A debut in April 2019, he has not been able to establish himself permanently. Two loans follow. Once to Ghent in Belgium and again to Neuchâtel Xamax, which eventually signed him permanently. In the Challenge League he plays his way into the notebooks of FC Luzern.

The dueling monster has become tame

“When Remo Meyer contacted me, I only had Lucerne in mind and wanted to go there,” says Beloko. The deal will be completed in July 2022. He doesn’t need much time to get a permanent spot. He also owes this to his trainer Mario Frick (49). “He is the best coach I have had so far because he gives the boys a chance and talks to us a lot.”

Frick himself described Beloko to Blick as a whiner. “He always has one or two problems,” the Liechtenstein native revealed. That doesn’t really fit the image of the fighter Beloko, who is known for his tough playing style. No one committed as many fouls last season (75) and no one was warned as often (14). “I thought about it a lot in the summer and told myself that I had to change something and be cleaner in the matches,” he admits.

He dreams of the Premier League

Beloko’s announcement to himself worked. This season, apart from one yellow-red, he has only seen three yellows. But he remained strong in duels. He achieves top values ​​in all statistics that are important for a midfielder. He has become indispensable for the FCL. This became apparent in the last ten minutes against Yverdon when Beloko was no longer on the field on Tuesday. No wonder that interested parties from abroad are slowly increasing. Recently Midtjylland came knocking.

But Beloko dreams of bigger things. “From Tottenham,” he says. Why the Spurs of all places? “Because of Moussa Sissoko or Victor Wanyama, who are African and played there.” Until then, there is still a long way to go. The present is called Lucerne. His contract runs until 2025, so there’s a good chance his name will be on the market this summer.