In 2006, Mbami left Paris to sign for another Ligue 1 side, Marseille, where he continued to be teammates with Cana.In the summer of 2009, Mbami bid farewell to French soccer. He tried out for English clubs such as Portsmouth, Wigan Athletic and Wolverhampton Wanderers, but eventually moved to La Liga, where he was a starter for Almeria, who were relegated from the bottom of the table in the 2010-11 season, despite Mbemi's contribution of one goal and one assist in 30 matches. At the end of the season, the 29-year-old Mbami left the team, and a move away from China was the next leg of his career.
Landed in the Chinese Super League and left in a hurry
It was Dalian Albion, who were leading the A table at the time, who signed Mbami, but with the foreign aid quota full, they loaned the brave player to Changchun Yatai. There was an interlude in between. At the time, Mbami joined Changchun Yatai as a free agent and his ownership raised eyebrows.
Cameroonian media, who had mistaken Dalian Shide for Dalian Albin, claimed that Mbami had joined Changchun Yatai on loan from Dalian Shide. Changchun Yatai chairman Liu Yuming denied this in an interview, but did not reveal from which club Mbami was rented. Dalian Shide also said that Mbami had nothing to do with them. Six months later, Mbami ended his loan and joined Dalian Albin's winter training squad. People's doubts were rightly answered at this time.
Mbami's six months at Changchun Yatai have been quite impressive. His first game against defending champion Shandong Luneng was amazing with his overall view and passing ability. Mbami made 34 successful passes and intercepted six opponents' attacks in the whole game, helping Yatai get a draw at home. Shen Xiangfu, the team's coach at the time, praised him, "Mbami's performance is absolutely world-class, and he will be even better after the grind."
Mbami made 15 appearances for Yatai in half a season, scoring three goals. Defeating Shaanxi Renhe 3-0 at home, scoring twice to lead his team to their first win of the season, and defeating Evergrande 2-1 at home to give the latter their first loss of the season, Mbami also took part in Changchun Yatai's two goals to be the leader of the victory. Mbami plays well on the pitch and is popular with his teammates off it. Shortly after arriving in China, he learned how to use chopsticks and tasted dog meat with Chinese specialties with his teammates.
Mbemi was given the nickname "Cat" by his teammates and was praised for his lively personality. Mbami even revealed that he has been interested in Chinese culture for a long time. In his opinion, Changchun is a beautiful city. He likes everything here and hopes to taste more Chinese food.
However, after returning to Dalian, then Albion coach Zhang Wailong made it clear that Mbami would not stay with the team due to tactical needs. In the end, Dalian Albion signed midfielder Roshenbach, who played for Barcelona, and Mbami was unemployed for six months after leaving the team.In July 2012, Kannada, who coached Mbami at Almeria, brought him to play for the Saudi giants, Ittihad. Three months later, Mbami performed well in the quarterfinals of the AFC Champions League, helping his team knock out Guangzhou Evergrande. In one year, Mbami beat Guangzhou Evergrande twice, and at the time, he had not been playing in China for long, but he could definitely be called "Evergrande's bitter enemy".
It's sad that he's gone.
After a season with the Etihad, Mbami played his first South American soccer match. After 12 games for the Colombian millionaires, he returned to France to represent Le Havre in the French B League. After two seasons in which Mbami did not appear many times, he officially retired in 2016 and settled in Le Havre. Famous as a youngster, Mbami played in five leagues for a long time and left his mark on the Chinese soccer scene.
Not much has been heard about Mbami since his retirement but he has not left soccer.In 2019, the Cameroon Football Association (CFA) intended to invite Mbami to be the manager of the national team. However, Mbami did not accept the offer, revealing that the Cameroon Football Association did not communicate with him before inviting him.In his opinion, former players who have held the position in the past have not been treated reasonably in their jobs and have always been sacked after being humiliated. "Staff changes in different positions do not really solve our soccer problems." Mbami said in a statement.
Cameroonian soccer has been in turmoil in recent years and Mbami's refusal to wade into the national team was probably the right decision. However, with Mbami's untimely death, there is little point in discussing these issues.It is really painful to see famous footballers such as Pele, Vialli, Mbami and many others pass away due to illnesses at the beginning of 2023. May the dead rest in peace and may everyone who loves soccer be healthy and safe from the pain and suffering caused by illness.
