Who is Breel Embolo? Switzerland and Monaco striker who broke Cameroon’s hearts during World Cup opener

Cameroon would feel disappointed after losing their World Cup opening game against Switzerland on Thursday, despite a spirited fight.

Their hearts were broken by none other than Breel Embolo, whose parental roots can be traced to the Central African country.

The goal against the African nation meant that Embolo has scored in each of his last three competitive appearances for the European nation.

As Embolo opened his goalscoring account in the ongoing tournament in Qatar, Cameroon were left agonizing for missing out on the three crucial points.

Who is Breel Embolo?

The striker is a Cameroonian-born Swiss professional who plays for Monaco in Ligue 1.

Embolo and his mother first moved to France before they later settled in Switzerland. Living in Switzerland gave the player a chance to join the youth setup at Nordstern, where he started his football career.

Where did Embolo start his senior club football career?

He then moved to Basel in 2010, and in the 2011/12 and 2012/13 seasons, he played for Basel's U16 team.

He made his Basel professional debut in 2014 against Red Bull Salzburg in a Europa League game. His  Super League debut came in the 5–0 home win over Aarau, and it is in this game that he scored his first goal for the club.

In November 2014, Embolo scored his Uefa Champions League debut goal against Ludogorets Razgrad.

 In all three of his first seasons with the Swiss club, he won the Super League titles before he was signed by German side Schalke 04.

He made his debut and scored in the first round of the DFB-Pokal away game against sixth-tier FC 08 Villingen.

Embolo earned his Bundesliga debut against Eintracht Frankfurt and scored his first goals in a brace during a 4–0 win over Borussia Monchengladbach.

Getty Images

He signed for Borussia Monchengladbach in June 2019 and scored his first goal for the club in a 3–1 win against Mainz 05.

The 25-year-old was among the scorers as Monchengladbach defeated Bayern Munich 5-0 in a DFB-Pokal game on October 27, 2021. This was Munich’s biggest-ever defeat in the cup.

After his sojourn in the Bundesliga, Embolo moved to France’s Ligue 1, where he joined Monaco.

Embolo in Swiss jersey

Internationally, he has represented Switzerland in the Euro 2016 finals, the 2018 World Cup in Russia, as well as the Euro 2020 finals.

Embolo made four appearances for the Switzerland U16 national team before he made his senior debut in March 2015 against the United States of America.

The striker scored his maiden international goal from the spot in October as Switzerland defeated San Marino 7-0.

Getty Images.

He was on the scoresheet in the Euro 2020 qualifying match against Denmark in 2019, a game that ended in a 3-3 draw despite the Swiss earlier enjoying a 3-0 lead.

Embolo also found the back of the net at the 2021 finals when he scored the opener in a 1-1 draw against Wales.

What is Embolo’s next assignment?

Currently, in Qatar, the striker is expected to be Switzerland’s lead striker in the tournament. The winner against Cameroon is a motivating achievement, as this could propel him to score more and even emerge as the competition’s top scorer.