Kambwala: Don’t let people say you can’t do it

The young defender made his senior debut during December’s Premier League match at West Ham, before his first Old Trafford appearance as a substitute in the Boxing Day classic against Aston Villa. He describes the latter as his career highlight so far and is proud to have played two more games since.

As you can see in the video, Kambwala is a confident and outgoing character with an infectious energy. His childhood was spent playing football and dreaming big. 

“I think, like every kid, you’re just playing football all the time with friends or sometimes alone,” he says. “Not watching a lot, but just playing and thinking about it all the time — thinking about my dreams a lot. It was the best moment to share with friends and family as a young kid. 

“I have really, really good memories about that. The most important was just having a ball or something to kick, even a bottle. I had a club as well – Les Ulis was where I really started. It wasn’t my first club, but it was my first proper one.”

Les Ulis, in Paris, was once home to current United striker Anthony Martial, as well as Reds legend Patrice Evra. Kambwala admits our former defender is a big role model.

“Of course. I was like ‘okay, if he did it from here, I can do it as well’. 

“We had a main building [at Les Ulis] with all the shirts on the wall and I was like ‘yeah, one day I want my shirt to be on this wall’. So it was really inspirational.

“Every coach over there was talking about [those players] because they had them when they were kids. It helps you to know what you have to do.”

Kambwala’s list of idols is packed with other big names, as he recounts: “Maldini, Puyol, Sergio Ramos, Paul Scholes… I’m a defender, but I can dream, you know!

“And Vidic... like I said, I wasn’t watching a lot of football but watching United was different for me. All of the players playing for United were inspiration for me. 

“I have some inspirational people outside of football as well. My parents, brothers and sisters, some coaches and some friends.

“It’s really important, even more important than football, because when you are good outside of football, then you can perform well. They did everything for me. They are a big part of my life and my story.”

Now an established member of the first-team squad, Kambwala is working hard every day to keep progressing and he hopes to make more appearances. He also wants to share his experiences and help the next generation of players fighting for their own dreams.

“First of all, just dream,” he says. “To do something in your life, you have to dream. Then you have to fight for it.

“It’s easy to dream because it’s free. But to fight for it, that’s when it becomes more complicated because you don’t know what you’re going to have on your journey. 

“Every journey is different. Don’t watch others because you don’t know what will happen. One day you’re on the top, another you’re down. So fight for your dream and don’t let people say you can’t do it. If you want to do it, you can do it — it’s possible. So fight for it! Be confident in yourself. Keep your feet on the floor as well. 

“Don’t fly. Don’t think you are too big or too good because there are a lot of people with the same dream as you and they can take your place.

“So keep your feet on the floor and say ‘this is the level I’m at now but I know where I want to go’. 

“There’s a lot of up and down but that’s the thing that’s going to make you stronger, more resilient and more mature as a player or just as a human. I think that’s the best thing I can say.”

Watch 'Fight For Your Dream' to learn more about Willy Kambwala's story so far.