Breel Embolo facts for kids

Quick facts for kids
Breel Embolo

Embolo warming up for Borussia Mönchengladbach in 2022
Personal information
Full name	Breel Donald Embolo
Date of birth	(1997-02-14) 14 February 1997 (age 28)
Place of birth	Yaoundé, Cameroon
Height	1.87 m (6 ft 2 in)
Position(s)	Forward
Team information
Current team	Monaco
Number	36
Youth career
2006–2008	Nordstern
2008–2010	Old Boys
2010–2014	Basel
Senior career*
Years	Team	Apps	(Gls)
2014–2016	Basel	61	(21)
2016–2019	Schalke 04	48	(10)
2019–2022	Borussia Mönchengladbach	88	(22)
2022–	Monaco	66	(19)
International career‡
2012	Switzerland U16	4	(1)
2014–2015	Switzerland U20	5	(0)
2014–2015	Switzerland U21	2	(0)
2015–	Switzerland	77	(18)
*Club domestic league appearances and goals, correct as of 23 May 2025 ‡ National team caps and goals, correct as of 12 June 2025

Breel Donald Embolo (born 14 February 1997) is a professional footballer. He plays as a forward for Ligue 1 club Monaco. He also plays for the Switzerland national team.

Breel was born in Cameroon. He moved with his mother and siblings to France. Later, they settled in Switzerland. He started playing football in youth teams. Breel made his professional debut for Basel in March 2014. He helped Basel win the Swiss Super League three times. After that, he moved to Germany. He joined Schalke 04 for about €20 million. Soon after, he got a serious ankle injury. This kept him from playing for almost a year. He later played for Borussia Mönchengladbach. Then he moved to France to play for Monaco.

Embolo first played for the senior Swiss national team in 2015. He has played over 70 games for his country. He represented Switzerland in the UEFA European Championship in 2016, 2020, and 2024. He also played in the FIFA World Cup in 2018 and 2022.

Early Life and Moving to Switzerland

Breel Donald Embolo was born on February 14, 1997. This was in Yaoundé, the capital of Cameroon. His parents separated when he was young. When he was five, his mother moved to France. He went to school there, living between Toulouse and Paris. The next year, his family moved to Basel, Switzerland.

Club Football Journey

Starting Out in Youth Teams

Embolo began his youth football career at Nordstern. When he was ten, he tried out for Basel but did not get in. So, he joined Old Boys instead. Finally, he was able to join FC Basel's youth system. He played for their U-13 team. In the 2011–12 and 2012–13 seasons, he played for Basel's U-16 team. He helped them win the Swiss Championship twice. He also won awards, like Basel's Youngster of the Year in 2013. On March 8, 2013, just after his 16th birthday, he signed his first professional contract. In summer 2013, he moved up to play for their U-18 and U-21 teams.

Playing for FC Basel

During the winter break of the 2013–14 season, Embolo joined Basel's first team. He made his professional debut on March 13, 2014. This was in a Europa League game. He came on as a substitute in the last minute. Three days later, he played his first league game. He scored his first goal for the team four minutes after coming on. Basel won that game 5–0. At the end of the 2013–14 season, Basel won the league championship.

In the 2014–15 season, Embolo became a regular player and goal scorer. On November 4, 2014, he scored his first goal in the UEFA Champions League. Basel won that game 4–0. He also scored his first hat-trick (three goals in one game) for Basel. This was in a cup game against Winterthur. Basel won the league championship for the sixth time in a row that season.

For the 2015–16 season, Basel played in the 2015–16 UEFA Europa League group stage. Embolo scored two goals in eight games. Basel finished first in their group. In January 2016, VfL Wolfsburg offered a lot of money for Embolo. But Basel turned down the offer. Embolo won his third straight Swiss championship with Basel that season. In June 2016, FourFourTwo magazine called him "one of Europe's hottest prospects."

On June 26, 2016, Basel announced that Embolo was leaving. He had played 91 games for Basel and scored 31 goals.

Time at Schalke 04

Embolo playing for Schalke 04 in August 2018

On June 26, 2016, Bundesliga club Schalke 04 signed Embolo. He signed a five-year deal. The transfer fee was about €20 million. He played his first game for Schalke on August 20. He scored in a 4–1 win. A week later, he played his first league game.

He scored his first league goals for Schalke on October 2. He scored two goals in a 4–0 win. But eleven days later, he got a very serious ankle injury. This injury kept him out of the game for almost a full year.

On September 16, 2017, Embolo returned to play. He came on as a substitute in a 2–1 win.

Playing for Borussia Mönchengladbach

Embolo joined another Bundesliga club, Borussia Mönchengladbach, on June 28, 2019. He signed a four-year contract. He played his first game on August 9. Fifteen days later, he scored his first goal for the club. This was in a 3–1 win.

On October 27, 2021, Embolo scored two goals. This was in a big 5–0 win over FC Bayern Munich in a cup game. This was Bayern Munich's biggest ever defeat in that cup.

Moving to Monaco

On July 15, 2022, Embolo joined Ligue 1 club Monaco. He signed a four-year deal. The transfer fee was a little over €12 million. He played his first game for Monaco on August 2. His first league game was four days later.

On August 13, he scored his first goal for Monaco. This helped them get a 1–1 draw. He scored 14 goals in 40 games during his first season. In the last league game of the season, Embolo got a knee injury. While training to get back in shape, he got a severe knee injury. This kept him from playing for a long time.

International Career for Switzerland

Embolo playing for Switzerland in June 2016

Embolo played four games for the Switzerland U16 national team. He scored his first international goal on November 1, 2012. He could also have played for Cameroon. But in December 2014, he chose to play for Switzerland.

He made his first senior international appearance on March 31, 2015. This was in a friendly game against the United States. On October 9, he scored his first goal for Switzerland. This was a penalty in a 7–0 win. This win helped Switzerland qualify for UEFA Euro 2016. Embolo was chosen for the Euro 2016 tournament in France.

In qualifying for the 2018 FIFA World Cup, Embolo scored a goal. This was in a 2–0 win over Portugal. He was also chosen for the World Cup in Russia.

Embolo scored once in UEFA Euro 2020 qualifying. This was in a 3–3 draw against Denmark. At the main tournament in 2021, he scored the first goal in their opening game. This was a 1–1 draw with Wales.

In Switzerland's first game of the 2022 FIFA World Cup, Embolo scored the only goal. This was against Cameroon, the country where he was born. He was only the second player in World Cup history to score against his birth country. Out of respect, Embolo did not celebrate the goal. In the final group game, he scored again. This helped Switzerland win 3–2 and move to the next round.

On June 7, 2024, he was chosen for the 26-man squad for UEFA Euro 2024. On June 15, he scored a goal in extra time. This helped Switzerland win 3–1 against Hungary in their first game of the tournament.

How Breel Embolo Plays

Embolo challenging with Benedikt Höwedes in October 2018

UEFA.com writer Steffen Potter said Embolo is a complete striker. He described him as "powerful, technically strong and decisive." He also noted Embolo's "explosive pace" and how he finishes goals calmly. Fabian Frei, who played with Embolo at FC Basel, also praised him. He said Embolo stays humble.

• "I think he is amazing – playing like that at 17. I like him as a person as much as I do as a player. He will stay grounded – he won't try to score from 50 meters away. You can give him good advice and he takes it without getting upset."

Embolo has said that Mario Balotelli is one of his inspirations. Both players like to find space between defenders. They both have great control and physical strength. Embolo can also play in midfield. According to David Lemos, he is like N'Golo Kanté in this role. He uses his power to win the ball back and pass it to attackers.

Personal Life

When he was 18, Breel Embolo started the Embolo Foundation. This foundation helps refugee children in Switzerland. It also supports young people in his home country of Cameroon. Embolo became a Swiss citizen on December 12, 2014. His girlfriend Naomi had their daughter Naliya in June 2018.

Career Statistics

Club Games

International Games

Scores and results list Switzerland's goal tally first, score column indicates score after each Embolo goal.

List of international goals scored by Breel Embolo

No.	Date	Venue	Cap	Opponent	Score	Result	Competition
1	9 October 2015	AFG Arena, St. Gallen, Switzerland	6	San Marino	6–0	7–0	UEFA Euro 2016 qualifying
2	6 September 2016	St. Jakob-Park, Basel, Switzerland	15	Portugal	1–0	2–0	2018 FIFA World Cup qualification
3	27 March 2018	Swissporarena, Lucerne, Switzerland	23	Panama	3–0	6–0	Friendly
4	26 March 2019	St. Jakob-Park, Basel, Switzerland	32	Denmark	3–0	3–3	UEFA Euro 2020 qualifying
5	25 March 2021	Vasil Levski National Stadium, Sofia, Bulgaria	41	Bulgaria	1–0	3–1	2022 FIFA World Cup qualification
6	12 June 2021	Baku Olympic Stadium, Baku, Azerbaijan	43	Wales	1–0	1–1	UEFA Euro 2020
7	12 October 2021	LFF Stadium, Vilnius, Lithuania	50	Lithuania	1–0	4–0	2022 FIFA World Cup qualification
8					3–0
9	26 March 2022	Wembley Stadium, London, England	51	England	1–0	1–2	Friendly
10	24 September 2022	La Romareda, Zaragoza, Spain	57	Spain	2–1	2–1	2022–23 UEFA Nations League A
11	27 September 2022	Kybunpark, St. Gallen, Switzerland	58	Czech Republic	2–0	2–1	2022–23 UEFA Nations League A
12	24 November 2022	Al Janoub Stadium, Al Wakrah, Qatar	60	Cameroon	1–0	1–0	2022 FIFA World Cup
13	2 December 2022	Stadium 974, Doha, Qatar	62	Serbia	2–2	3–2	2022 FIFA World Cup
14	15 June 2024	RheinEnergieStadion, Cologne, Germany	64	Hungary	3–1	3–1	UEFA Euro 2024
15	6 July 2024	Merkur Spiel-Arena, Düsseldorf, Germany	68	England	1–0	1–1 (aet) (3–5 p)	UEFA Euro 2024
16	25 March 2025	Kybunpark, St. Gallen, Switzerland	75	Luxembourg	2–0	3–1	Friendly
17	7 June 2025	Rice–Eccles Stadium, Salt Lake City, United States	76	Mexico	1–0	4–2	Friendly
18	10 June 2025	Geodis Park, Nashville, United States	77	United States	3–0	4–0	Friendly

Awards and Achievements

Basel

• Swiss Super League: 2013–14, 2014–15, 2015–16
• Swiss Cup runner-up: 2013–14, 2014–15

Individual Awards

• FC Basel Young Player of the Year: 2013
• Swiss Footballer of the Year: 2015
• Swiss Cup top scorer: 2014–15
• Swiss Super League Young Player of the Year: 2014–15
• Swiss Super League Player of the Year: 2015–16
• Swiss Super League Team of the Year: 2015–16

See also

In Spanish: Breel Embolo para niños