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"It is an honor for me to be here, to be in the
country of my origin, to be with my family and to see the people
out there. They have shown me some love," Mbappe said on Friday
after meeting Cameroon's Prime Minister Joseph Dion Ngute.
He was lined up for a sporty afternoon, with a basketball match
against former NBA player Joakim Noah before hitting the pitch
for a soccer game against Cameroon's second-division team Vent
d'Etoudi FC.
On Saturday, he will travel to the economic capital Douala and
to the home village of his father Wilfried, a football coach who
is also his agent.
The tour also includes visits to schools funded by Mbappe's
"Inspired by KM" charity, one of which specializes in teaching
children with impaired hearing.
"We are pushing hard for a bright future in Cameroon," he said,
adding that he had more youth projects in the pipeline.
Mbappe, whose Algerian mother was a handball player, was born
and raised in the northeastern suburbs of Paris.
There have been questions about his future at PSG since he told
the club last month that he would not take up the option of a
one-year extension on his contract when it expires next year.
PSG signed Mbappe from AS Monaco in 2017 in a deal reported to
be worth around 180 million euros ($196 million), making him the
world's second-most expensive signing after Neymar, who joined
them from Barcelona for 222 million euros.
If Mbappe sees out the remainder of his contract, PSG risk
losing him for free at the end of the 2023-24 season. Club
president Nasser Al-Khelaifi ruled out that option this week.
Mbappe evaded questions on the topic in Yaounde.
"Kylian is in Cameroon at the moment and that is the most
important thing," he said. "I want to take the maximum
opportunity of my holidays to enjoy with Cameroonians."
($1 = 0.9163 euros)
(Reporting by Blaise Amindeh Atabong; Writing by Sofia
Christensen; editing by Clare Fallon)
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