In a brand-new episode of our Influencers series, Bryan Mbeumo tells us that his first footballing inspirations were the legendary Zinedine Zidane and Samuel Eto’o.
Mbeumo was born in France in 1999 and grew up at a time when Zidane was a poster boy of French football, and the playmaking idol to a generation of budding young footballers.
Eto’o, meanwhile, shone in the same era as a prolific forward and is one of the greatest players to hail from Cameroon, the country Bryan now represents internationally and the birthplace of his father.
Those ties meant our no.19 saw plenty of the pair in action while they were at the top of the game in the 2000s.
“For us [growing up in France], obviously Zidane [was a player I liked],”Mbeumo tells former United forward Danny Webber, while appearing on our Influencers series.
“Zidane and Eto’o [were the players I admired] when I grew up watching my first-ever football games, [at the] World Cup, AFCON, Euros.
“He [Eto’o] was a very, very good player, good dribbler, good finisher. He had it all for the position. Dribbling, shooting, even passing. He was really complete.”
United forward Mbeumo, who has scored 10 goals since joining us from Brentford in the summer, goes on to talk about the Reds who have helped him settle at Old Trafford and his admiration for tennis legend Rafael Nadal, but not before we find out who he admired as a young professional.
Coming through the ranks at French side Troyes, Bryan looked up to Eden Hazard, who had made a name for himself in the country’s top flight with Lille, before becoming one of the world’s premier attacking talents - and a regular opponent of ours - after moving to Chelsea in 2012.
“Obviously Hazard [was someone I looked up to],”
he adds.
“I was really watching his highlights, every single time I could. He’s so good.
“He could run past people so easily, great finishing, great passing.
“Obviously, the way he could turn himself or drive [past] people was insane.”
Watch Bryan Mbeumo’s Influencers episode in full now!