Everything you need to know about the 'Iceman!'
Eduardo Camavinga is a professional footballer from France who was born on November 10, 2002. He is of Angolan descent and plays as a central midfielder for the French national team and Spanish club, Real Madrid.
Camavinga started his footballing career with AGL Drapeau-Fougeres, a local club in his hometown, before moving to the youth academy of Stade Rennais. In 2019, he made his professional debut for Rennes at the age of 16, becoming the youngest player ever at the time to play for the first team.
Since then, Camavinga has established himself as one of the most promising young talents in world football. He is known for his impressive technical skills, ability to control the midfield, and his excellent tackling and interception abilities.
In the 2020-21 season, Camavinga made 39 appearances for Rennes in all competitions, scoring once and providing two assists. His performances earned him a call-up to the French national team, and he made his debut in September 2020 at the age of 17.
In the summer of 2021, Camavinga completed a €30 million transfer to Real Madrid, becoming the Spanish club's first (and only) signing of the season.
He received a lot of praise for his crucial cameos off the bench in the knockout phases of the UEFA Champions League. He was often introduced by coach Carlo Ancelotti when Real Madrid were trailing on aggregate, and the move paid off every time as Camavinga would help turn the tide in Madrid's favour.
The Frenchman was one of the unsung heroes of Los Blancos' miraculous Champions League triumph last season, and also was a key rotational piece to help them win La Liga.
Camavinga has also been recognized with several individual awards, including the Best Young Player award in Ligue 1 for the 2019-20 season. He has been compared to some of the best midfielders in the world, including Paul Pogba and N'Golo Kante, and is expected to have a bright future in football.
But what are some of the most interesting facts that you don't know about the midfield monster?
Challenging childhood
Born in Angola to Congolese parents Sofia and Celestino, Eduardo and his family emigrated to France when he was just two years old, as refugees.
His parents took residence in the suburbs of Rennes, where they built a place to live with the help of their neighbours and friends.
AdvertisementMotivated to help his family by becoming a footballer
When Eduardo was a little boy, the Camavingas' home was destroyed by fire, and they lost everything. This tragedy only fueled Eduardo's will to succeed. Although judo was his first love as a child, football swiftly overtook it, and becoming a professional was always his goal.
"We had been at that house, which my parents had built, for a less than a year," the former Rennes prodigy said in an interview with Ouest France.
"I remember the fire as if it were yesterday. I was at school and saw the firefighters passing out of the window.
"At the end of the class the teachers came to me and my little sister and explained what had happened.
"My dad came to get us and took us there. Everything was burned, everything was destroyed."
Camavinga's father, however, believed in his son and his words paved the way for a successful future.
"Don't worry, you're going to be a great footballer and will rebuild this house," the player's father said.
"It's true that he told me that," Camavinga said.
"I was the family's hope. Suddenly, I was motivated. My parents were already happy, but I knew I could make them even happier."
Obtained a Baccalaureate in ES
On July 7, 2020, Camavinga obtained his Baccalaureate in ES (Economic and Social Sciences) without mention.
Due to the coronavirus, the classes were ceased, which led to Camavinga being unable to appear for the examinations. Thus, the National Education decided to award him his baccalaureate on the basis of continuous monitoring.
GettyYoungest ever to debut for Rennes at the time
When Camavinga made his debut for Rennes in a Ligue 1 match against Angers on April 6, 2019, he became the youngest ever player to play for the Rennes first team, aged 16 years, four months, and 27 days.
However, this record was later broken by Mathys Tel (who now plays for Bayern Munich), who made his debut for Rennes against Brest in a 1-1 draw on August 15, 2021, aged 16 years and 110 days.