Jordi Mboula Monaco

I just want to have fun - former Barca boy Jordi Mboula ready for Monaco encore


EXCLUSIVE

Jordi Mboula looked around and saw nothing but space.

So he set off running. Nine seconds - and some 70 metres - later, the ball rolled into the back of the St Polten net.

It was quite the start, the 18-year-old from Barcelona instantly living up to his billing as the furture gem pinched from under their noses at the Camp Nou.

But for Mboula, it was mostly just a bit of a fun.

“I think I play to have fun and maybe that makes me score goals like this,” AS Monaco’s new crown prince told Goal.

After all, it wasn’t the first time he’d earned a standing ovation. Six months ago, the teenager sent another video viral, slaloming his way through a couple of Dortmund youth-team defenders before emphatically completing his run from the halfway line with a ferocious finish.

Jordi Mboula

"I don’t only want to play well, but also put on a show,” smiles the youngster.

"I just did my job against St Polten. I found myself in a lot of space. I'm very confident with my pace. It was a great goal and thanks to social media it has been seen all over the world. If it had been a ‘normal goal’ it would have also counted, so I'm just happy to score.”

And Monaco are happy he’s chosen to score for them. “Monaco offer him an ideal environment to continue his progress," said Vadim Vasilyev last month after activating a €3 million release clause.

Mboula agrees. “I came here because it's a club that relies on young players and is getting the most of each of them, as we have seen,” he says.

"It was simply the sporting project offered here that captivated me and also the coach, Leonardo Jardim, who I have heard very good things about and he can get the most out of youngsters.”

Jordi MboulaGetty

Monaco had the youngest squad in the latter stages of last season’s UEFA Champions League, galloping to the semi-finals with an average age of just 25.28, while for a time in their Round of 16 clash with Manchester City the starting XI’s average age was just 22.

And Mboula, who shunned the opportunity to line up alongside Lionel Messi at the Camp Nou and rejected the advances of some European giants, is ready to go to the next level with the reigning Ligue 1 champions.

"I think I'm ready to play at a big European club and I think Monaco isn't an ordinary one,” he says. 

“It's one that fits my characteristics, has shown that it relies on young players and helps them reach their maximum potential.”

Monaco got an early glimpse at Mboula’s potential. And they can’t wait for the encore.

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