Cameroon striker Patrick Mboma has bid a fond farewell to Japan where his well-travelled career gathered steam and finally ended with recurring injuries. « If I talk about my memories of Japan, it will become a whole book, » Mboma, 34, told a farewell ceremony Saturday at Kobe.
« I will go home with a bag full of memories, » he said before cheering fans at Kobe Wing Stadium, home to the J-League’s Vissel Kobe.
The farewell ceremony took place after Kobe’s 1-0 loss to Omiya Omiya Ardija in a home J-League Cup match, in which he did not play.
Clad in a business suit, Mboma received bouquets from his family, veteran Kobe striker Kazuyoshi Miura, 38, once the Asian Footballer of the Year.
Another team-mate Ryuji Bando, cried in the arms of the 2000 African Footballer of the Year.
Mboma ran around the pitch and threw 48 autographed footballs in to the stands, the number representing the goals he has scored in 79 J-League matches.
« I want to say ‘arigato’ [thank you] to all the people who have supported me. I will go all-out in a new challenge. »
Mboma has now been lined up a job to support the country’s national team while training himself to become a football agent.
Known for his aerial strength and power-packed left foot, the lanky Mboma announced his retirement last week after a series of injuries, including a damaged right thigh.
He scored only two goals in 10 matches for Kobe, and none in four matches this season which opened in March.
