I'm also doing it for him

At just 20 years old, Jean-Marc Moutsinga has already experienced a football journey that has taken him from the development fields of Johannesburg to Europe and now Sudan. Born in South Africa to a South African mother and a Cameroonian father, the young winger has steadily worked his way through academies such as Black Aces, Etimar and Joburg City, while also gaining exposure in the Czech Republic and at a Liverpool FC academy training camp. Now turning out for Al Ahli SC Wad Madani, Moutsinga opens up to Soccer Laduma, speaking to Masebe Qina, about his football upbringing, the sacrifices his family made for his career, his experiences abroad and his dream of one day representing the South African national soccer team.

- Masebe Qina

Masebe Qina: Hi Jean-Marc, can you please tell us, growing up in a football family, with your father having played professionally across different countries, how much did his journey influence your own dream of becoming a professional footballer?

Jean-Marc Moutsinga: Honestly, it motivated me because of how he really grew up. He grew up in a very difficult state of living, you know, and that pushed me to become a football player because he didn’t reach many of the levels that I want to reach for him too. I’m doing it for myself, and I'm also doing it for him. You know, his dream died very early, so I’m taking his dream and my dream and trying to put them on the highest level I can, and to reach the biggest stages of football. He didn’t reach that high level because of a knee injury. That made him not reach where he wanted to be. My older brother also plays football. He’s currently at Jomo Cosmos.

MQ: Your football journey started at a very young age in Johannesburg. What are your earliest memories of playing football and when did you realise that you could make a career out of it?

JM: I started at the age of six or seven. The memories I have are of my dad taking us for private training sessions. From there we joined a club called Corinthians. I played there from around eight years old until I was about 13. Then I got promoted to the GDL team, which was Black Aces. I played there in the U13 and U15 teams. I left during COVID-19, when a lot of things stopped. My dad continued training us during COVID-19. He started a team called SAA and we played there for one season. From there I went to Etimar Foundation Football Development at the age of 17. I kept improving there in the U19 squad.

MQ: Who were some of the coaches or mentors who played the biggest role in your development?