2023-09-09 11:17:00
Coach of the U21 attackers at Antwerp, then T2 at Mouscron, Emile is currently without a club. “I am active in real estate and I am going to work for a sports nutrition company. So I stay in football. Of course I am open to proposals to become T2. I have my coaching diplomas. But what happened in Mouscron with Enzo Scifo as T1 has cooled me down a bit. There were people on his staff who thought regarding their own careers rather than the collective. And no, I did not follow my brother Mbo to Mandel United (the Nationale 1 team where Mbo is president) because I feared facing the same joke as at Mouscron.”
His playing career ended at the age of 33 during the derby on the Inter Baku field (2-1 defeat) in December 2011. It might have taken a completely different turn, but certain decisions or events in decided otherwise. We might cite ten, but we limit ourselves to three.
Ex-Red Devil Emile Mpenza finished his career in Azerbaijan: “The Azeri Premier League was the level of Knokke”
His dad said no to Arsenal
At 18, Emile Mpenza was the Jérémy Doku of his time. Lightning fast, he scored 12 goals for Mouscron, who finished the season in 3rd place in D1. At the beginning of 1997, Emile’s performances did not go unnoticed by the biggest clubs in Europe. Juventus is interested and Fabio Capello, coach of Real Madrid, takes a private jet to come see him in action. Arsenal’s interest is the most concrete. Arsène Wenger even comes to the Canonnier to speak with his parents. But they refuse to put Emile at Arsenal, because they want the Mbo brothers and Emile to stay together. Emile: “After a Mouscron home match, Wenger was in our living room, but I didn’t know who he was. I thought he was a supporter. I was young and I didn’t follow European football closely. I put down my football bag, shook Wenger’s hand and went back to my teammates for a drink.”
Emile did damage to Schalke. On and off the field. ©Photo News
His cars and Miss Belgium have tarnished his image
Via Standard, Mpenza still found himself in a major European club: Marc Wilmots’ Schalke. Despite his injuries, the striker scored 28 times in 2.5 seasons but he also made the front page of the tabloid Bild with his accidents in a Ferrari and a Porsche. Miss Belgium Joke Van de Velde’s visit to the Red Devils Hotel during Euro 2000 is one of the events of the tournament. “When you’re young, is it normal for you to like beautiful cars and beautiful girls? Look at the parking lots of current clubs: there are cars that are much more expensive than the ones I had at the time. And they have prettier girlfriends. All men like to have a beautiful girlfriend, but I didn’t have the right. Whereas Emile, he was nice!” The current Emile no longer drives a Porsche. He had a Renault and a Golf. “You think I’m still 18? Admit that 45 is no longer the age to own a Ferrari. I have children, so you need seats in the back… And the accidents I had, I don’t like to talk regarding them, because other players lost their lives.”
Mpenza out at Manchester City, Kompany in
After returning to Standard and attempting an adventure in Qatar, Emile signed for… Manchester City in 2007. But the old version of City is used to fighting relegation. “You want good information? Who is the first Belgian to score for Manchester City? It was me.” He scored six times, including the only goal in a victory at Newcastle and City finishing 9th. But his contract is not extended. Too bad, because at the end of the season, City was bought by the Abu Dhabi United Group, which transferred Robinho from Real Madrid for 40 million and Vincent Kompany from Hamburg for 8.5 million. The beginning of a new era…
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