Having passed from the shadows to the light, Mapou Yanga-Mbiwa confides in his ordeal at Olympique Lyonnais.
From 2015 to 2020, Mapou Yanga-Mbiwa went through real hell at Olympique Lyonnais. Shelved after two promising seasons, the French central defender sank into oblivion, making only two appearances in Ligue 1 during the 2017-2018 season.
Today in Istres (National 3), Yanga-Mbiwa looks back on this dark period of his career. “In Lyon, I was unhappy, I was at the bottom of the hole,” he admits. Despite his professionalism and his involvement, he never managed to regain the favor of his coaches.
A strange grudge
“I made proposals to different transfer windows to get out of this impasse, proposed an amicable agreement. Everything was refused. Some people perhaps felt resentment,” he confides.
From now on, the native of Bangui has turned the page and is focusing on his new challenge with the residents of Parsemain. A new start for the former member of Montpellier, AS Roma and Newcastle, determined to rediscover the pleasure of playing football.
