For Gaël Kakuta and Cédric Bakambu, the feeling of unity that comes from playing – and winning – under the same colors is not new. Fourteen years ago – well before their decisive match with the Democratic Republic of Congo this Sunday, in the round of 16 of the CAN against Egypt – the two hopefuls won Euro 19 under the blue jersey. On July 30, 2010, among Antoine Griezmann and Alexandre Lacazette, Kakuta and Bakambu entered the history of French football and climbed to the roof of Europe by dominating Spain (2-1).
Kakuta’s long path
The situation has evolved a lot since then. Gaël Kakuta is now one of the “four senior players” in the DRC, Sébastien Desabre assured RFI before the tournament. The French coach of the “Leopards” adds Chancel Mbemba, Meschack Elia and Cédric Bakambu to the list. After a tortuous journey strewn with disillusionment, the 32-year-old playmaker is indeed flourishing under the colors of his country of origin.
Promised for a bright future at the age of 16, when Chelsea came to steal him from the Lens training center, to the great dismay of the Sang et Or, Kakuta got a little lost on the way afterwards, knowing ten clubs in ten years via several loans and transfers, until Hebei China Fortuna, during the 2016-2017 season. His return to Ligue 1, to Amiens SC, was then beneficial for him. In 36 Championship matches, he scored 6 goals and 6 assists in 2017-2018 and managed to keep the club in the elite. His return to the Somme in 2022 is less spectacular, but the player is finally stabilizing.
The road to selection has also been winding. In 2011, Claude Le Roy, then coach, summoned him for the first time, but the player declined, still hoping to play for the French team, after more than 30 selections in the different categories of Bleuets. But he changed his mind around 2016. “I needed international experience and I preferred my country of origin, I don’t regret my decision at all,” he assured Téléfoot.
“Every time I set foot there it’s crazy. In the country, people are suffering a lot. Football allows them to forget everything that is happening there for 90 minutes. It’s a big responsibility for us,” added Kakuta.
The native of Lille honors his first cap in 2017 against Kenya. Despite a defeat (2-1), he scored his team’s only goal on a free kick. After 19 caps and 3 goals scored, he will try to win a quarter for his 20th cap.
“Every time I set foot there? It’s crazy. »
If Kakuta shines in Ivory Coast, the CAN of Cédric Bakambu, 32 years old, is not yet brilliant, like his season, since he is essentially a replacement at Galatasaray. After a penalty sent to the post against Morocco (1-1), he started on the bench the third match against Tanzania (0-0), relegated in favor of striker Fiston Mayele.
“Competition is healthy. I am not eternal. The most important thing is to wet your jersey whether you are a starter or a substitute,” he said on Canal+. Criticized for this failure on penalty, he was defended on social networks by the rapper Rohff, originally from Vitry-sur-Seine (Val-de-Marne) like him. The only positive statistical point for the moment: an assist for Yoane Wissa, during the first match against Zambia (1-1).
Despite this match on the bench against Tanzania, Bakambu (50 caps, 16 goals) remains one of the leaders of the group. He had also been unofficially commissioned to convince Kakuta, Arthur Masuaku or Giannelli Imbula to join the Leopards. “Cédric is one of those very committed players for whom coming to the selection is a privilege,” underlined Desabre in Jeune Afrique. Unlike Kakuta, Bakambu decided to join the DRC earlier, in 2015.
Inconsolable after the 2022 World Cup play-off lost against Morocco (1-1 in the first leg, 4-1 in the return), the former Sochaux player set the objectives before the competition. “We are very vindictive because of our absence two years ago,” he said on Cafonline. “So we arrive with a lot of ambition. We had a difficult run in the playoffs and that should serve as a lesson to us. We have no limits.”
