Francis Ngannou, an MMA fighter and the world champion in the heavyweight category since 2021 invited Vinicius Jr. to visit Cameroon, the land of his ancestors. Five days ago, before the Brazil – Uruguay match, the Real Madrid striker received a certificate of ancestry, revealing that his ancestors came from Cameroon and specifically from the Tikar ethnic group. So, wearing a Cameroon shirt with number 7 and Vinicius name on it, Ngannou invited the Brazilian forward to visit his country of origin. “Brother Vinicius, we are eagerly awaiting your return home” the former UFC heavyweight champion wrote on X to the Real Madrid player.Brother @vinijr we’re impatiently waiting for your home coming. 🤩🥰#lecontinent @FIFAWorldCup 26 WE’RE coming 🏆🇨🇲#lecontinent pic.twitter.com/cXf4bjurqb— Francis Ngannou (@francis_ngannou) November 24, 2024 🇧🇷🇨🇲 Vinícíus Jr se hizo una prueba de ADN desde la Confederación Brasileña y los resultados dieron que su ascendencia es de una TRIBU DE CAMERÚN. ➡️ En la previa del partido de Brasil con Uruguay 🇺🇾 le entregaron una PLAQUETA a Vini. pic.twitter.com/yCs9FEn3Qm— DAT ⭐⭐⭐ (@DeportesAlTacok) November 20, 2024 Vinicius recently found out about his heritage as part of the is part of the “Raizes de Ouro” campaign led by the Brazilian Football Confederation (CBF) in collaboration with a genetic tracing company to determine the origins of its players.“Vini Jr. has a desire to honor his roots. However, like many people of African descent, his ancestral history has been erased by racism and the legacy of slavery. Through DNA testing, we discovered that Vini Jr.’s ancestors are from the Tikar tribe in Cameroon. We are honored to reveal Vini Jr. and his family’s African roots, celebrating their resilience and greatness despite adversity. We believe Vini’s reconnection with his African roots is a powerful ‘act of resistance,’ consistent with his advocacy for social justice on and off the football field” Gina Paige, Founder and President of AfricanAncestry.com said recently.Pogba receives hero’s welcome in GuineaAnd now he has an invitation to come to Cameroon from Ngannou, whose origins are from the same region. Unlike Vinicius, who grew up in Brazil, Ngannou lived in Cameroon and had to work in the sand mines to provide for his family’s basic needs before fleeing at the age of 17. When (or if) Vinicius will come to Cameroon remains to be seen. Former Manchester United midfielder Paul Pogba has African roots since both his parents come from Guinea. Unlike his brothers Florentin and Mathias, who were born in Guinea and play for the national team, Paul was born in France and represents that country, but is in touch with his parents country and in 2022 visited Guinea and was given a king‘s reception.##NAJAVA_MECA_8519606##
