Breel Embolo facts for kids
![]() Embolo warming up for Borussia Mönchengladbach in 2022
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Personal information | |||
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Full name | Breel Donald Embolo | ||
Date of birth | 14 February 1997 | ||
Place of birth | Yaoundé, Cameroon | ||
Height | 1.87 m (6 ft 2 in) | ||
Position(s) | Forward | ||
Team information | |||
Current team
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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.
Contents
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
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 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

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
Club | Season | League | National cup | Europe | Other | Total | ||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Division | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | ||
Basel | 2013–14 | Swiss Super League | 7 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 0 | — | 11 | 1 | |
2014–15 | Swiss Super League | 27 | 10 | 5 | 6 | 8 | 1 | — | 40 | 17 | ||
2015–16 | Swiss Super League | 27 | 10 | 1 | 0 | 12 | 3 | — | 40 | 13 | ||
Total | 61 | 21 | 6 | 6 | 24 | 4 | — | 91 | 31 | |||
Schalke 04 | 2016–17 | Bundesliga | 7 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 0 | — | 10 | 3 | |
2017–18 | Bundesliga | 21 | 3 | 2 | 0 | — | — | 23 | 3 | |||
2018–19 | Bundesliga | 20 | 5 | 3 | 0 | 5 | 1 | — | 28 | 6 | ||
Total | 48 | 10 | 6 | 1 | 7 | 1 | — | 61 | 12 | |||
Borussia Mönchengladbach | 2019–20 | Bundesliga | 28 | 8 | 1 | 0 | 5 | 0 | — | 34 | 8 | |
2020–21 | Bundesliga | 31 | 5 | 3 | 0 | 7 | 1 | — | 41 | 6 | ||
2021–22 | Bundesliga | 29 | 9 | 2 | 2 | — | — | 31 | 11 | |||
Total | 88 | 22 | 6 | 2 | 12 | 1 | — | 106 | 25 | |||
Monaco | 2022–23 | Ligue 1 | 32 | 12 | 0 | 0 | 10 | 2 | — | 42 | 14 | |
2023–24 | Ligue 1 | 5 | 1 | 0 | 0 | — | — | 5 | 1 | |||
2024–25 | Ligue 1 | 29 | 6 | 2 | 0 | 10 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 42 | 7 | |
Total | 66 | 19 | 2 | 0 | 20 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 89 | 22 | ||
Career total | 263 | 72 | 20 | 9 | 63 | 9 | 1 | 0 | 347 | 90 |
International Games
National team | Year | Apps | Goals |
---|---|---|---|
Switzerland | 2015 | 7 | 1 |
2016 | 10 | 1 | |
2017 | 4 | 0 | |
2018 | 9 | 1 | |
2019 | 6 | 1 | |
2020 | 4 | 0 | |
2021 | 10 | 4 | |
2022 | 13 | 5 | |
2023 | 0 | 0 | |
2024 | 10 | 2 | |
2025 | 4 | 3 | |
Total | 77 | 18 |
- Scores and results list Switzerland's goal tally first, score column indicates score after each Embolo goal.
No. | Date | Venue | Cap | Opponent | Score | Result | Competition |
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1 | 9 October 2015 | AFG Arena, St. Gallen, Switzerland | 6 | ![]() |
6–0 | 7–0 | UEFA Euro 2016 qualifying |
2 | 6 September 2016 | St. Jakob-Park, Basel, Switzerland | 15 | ![]() |
1–0 | 2–0 | 2018 FIFA World Cup qualification |
3 | 27 March 2018 | Swissporarena, Lucerne, Switzerland | 23 | ![]() |
3–0 | 6–0 | Friendly |
4 | 26 March 2019 | St. Jakob-Park, Basel, Switzerland | 32 | ![]() |
3–0 | 3–3 | UEFA Euro 2020 qualifying |
5 | 25 March 2021 | Vasil Levski National Stadium, Sofia, Bulgaria | 41 | ![]() |
1–0 | 3–1 | 2022 FIFA World Cup qualification |
6 | 12 June 2021 | Baku Olympic Stadium, Baku, Azerbaijan | 43 | ![]() |
1–0 | 1–1 | UEFA Euro 2020 |
7 | 12 October 2021 | LFF Stadium, Vilnius, Lithuania | 50 | ![]() |
1–0 | 4–0 | 2022 FIFA World Cup qualification |
8 | 3–0 | ||||||
9 | 26 March 2022 | Wembley Stadium, London, England | 51 | ![]() |
1–0 | 1–2 | Friendly |
10 | 24 September 2022 | La Romareda, Zaragoza, Spain | 57 | ![]() |
2–1 | 2–1 | 2022–23 UEFA Nations League A |
11 | 27 September 2022 | Kybunpark, St. Gallen, Switzerland | 58 | ![]() |
2–0 | 2–1 | 2022–23 UEFA Nations League A |
12 | 24 November 2022 | Al Janoub Stadium, Al Wakrah, Qatar | 60 | ![]() |
1–0 | 1–0 | 2022 FIFA World Cup |
13 | 2 December 2022 | Stadium 974, Doha, Qatar | 62 | ![]() |
2–2 | 3–2 | 2022 FIFA World Cup |
14 | 15 June 2024 | RheinEnergieStadion, Cologne, Germany | 64 | ![]() |
3–1 | 3–1 | UEFA Euro 2024 |
15 | 6 July 2024 | Merkur Spiel-Arena, Düsseldorf, Germany | 68 | ![]() |
1–0 | 1–1 (aet) (3–5 p) | UEFA Euro 2024 |
16 | 25 March 2025 | Kybunpark, St. Gallen, Switzerland | 75 | ![]() |
2–0 | 3–1 | Friendly |
17 | 7 June 2025 | Rice–Eccles Stadium, Salt Lake City, United States | 76 | ![]() |
1–0 | 4–2 | Friendly |
18 | 10 June 2025 | Geodis Park, Nashville, United States | 77 | ![]() |
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