Football legend Patrick Mboma converts to Islam, change name

Former Cameroon striker Patrick Mboma has converted to Islam changing his name to Abdul Jalil Mboma. The two time winner of the Africa Cup of Nations proclaimed his faith before a crowd of worshippers in a mosque in his native Douala on Friday May 13. The 51-year-old did not unveil his motivation for the switch from Christian to muslim, but reports say the conversion is linked to his recent union with his sweetheart, Fatoumata Binta, a muslim Guinean. Affectionately called Patrick “Magic” Mboma, the African player of the year 2000 did not make any public comments about his conversion after his proclamation on Friday, but posted a photo of him and his wife dressed in muslim regalia on his Instagram page on Saturday. Mboma is a household name in soccer on the continent and beyond. He led the Indomitable Lions of Cameroon to the back-to-back Africa Cup of Nations victories in 2000 co-hosted by Ghana and Nigeria, and 2002 in Mali. He also helped Cameroon win first-ever Olympic gold medal at the Sydney Olympic Games in 2000, which year he was also named African Player of The Year. Mboma also played at the 1998 and 2002 World Cups, scoring a memorable overhead kick against France in 1998 which earned him the nickname name “Magic” Mboma. During his career, Mboma played for Chateauroux, Paris Saint-Germain, Metz, Gamba Osaka, Cagliari, Parma, Sunderland, Al-Ittihad, Tokyo Verdy and Vissel Kobe before retiring in 2005. Mboma who is a football consultant for French television, Canal+, is the latest football star to convert to Islam. In March, Ghanian and Arsenal midfielder, Thomas Partey converted to Islam proclaiming his confirmation at a mosque in London. Before Partey, former Dutch footballer now coach, Clarence Seedorf also embraced Islam. The former coach of the Indomitable Lions of Cameroon switched to Islam during a ritual in Qatar where he has been living for some years now earlier in March. He wrote on his Instagram page that he was “very happy and pleased to join all [muslim] Brothers and Sisters around the world,” and expressed his gratitude to his wife, Sophia Makramati for teaching him “in depth the meaning of Islam”.