Football: after several years without playing, former Montpellier Mapou Yanga-Mbiwa has found a club

Mapou Yanga-Mbiwa n'avait plus joué depuis son départ de l'OL en juillet 2020. MAXPPP – Stéphane GUIOCHON

Champion de France en 2012 avec le MHSC, le défenseur était sans club depuis 2020. Il vient de s'engager avec une nouvelle équipe. 

Mapou Yanga-Mbiwa finally returns to the field. After several years without playing and a last adventure that ended badly in Lyon, the former Montpellier defender signed up with Istres FC, current leader of National 3 (5th division). 

"The project is interesting and I wanted to get back to the land. I will bring my experience and pass it on to young people", the former French international (4 selections) explained to Maritima Media. 

After the MHSC, with which he was crowned French champion in 2012, Mapou Yanga-Mbiwa wore the jerseys of Newcastle then AS Roma before joining at Olympique Lyonnais in 2015. 

"After Lyon, I rested"

But the story had gone wrong. Sent to reserve, the native of Bangui (Central African Republic) was released by OL in July 2020. Since then, he has been without a club. "After Lyon, I rested and enjoyed my family and friends", says the man who grew up in Port-de-Bouc, not far from Paris. Istres. 

Since last week, Yanga-Mbiwa has become a full-fledged football player again. In Istres, where he reunites with former pros Yannick Sagbo and Yohan Mollo, the defender played 90 minutes and won his first match against Gallia Lucciana (2-0). p>