EXCLUSIVE: ECHO Everton reporter Chris Beesley speaks to Orel Mangala about how he came back stronger to become an international footballer following a serious childhood accident
Every face tells a story and that’s particularly true for Everton’s Orel Mangala who is competing in world football’s toughest domestic competition despite a serious car accident almost costing him much more than an ability to play the game he loves. Anyone who glances at a photograph of the Belgium international can see he still bears the scars of a traumatic incident that happened over a couple of decades ago, but when you’re up close to the midfielder and engaging in conversation with him, that’s not what you notice.
The feature that stands out most with Mangala is his smile, that epitomises his cheery disposition but is perhaps also a sign of the confidence behind a steely determination to make it to the top. Having been granted permission by the 26-year-old that he’s happy to discuss his life-changing moment, the question is put to him about what proved to be a pivotal step on his football journey.
Mangala told the ECHO: “When I was two years old, I got hit by a car. They told me that I wouldn’t be able to walk again.
“I don’t really remember it, but I do recall that my father told me that they did training at home to teach me to walk again. Today, I can run again in the Premier League.”
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That strength of character is epitomised by the player’s ‘Mangality’ account on social media, which relates to mindset and mentality with the goal being to inspire others. Mangala said: “It started when I was at Stuttgart, with my hashtag ‘Mangality’, it’s all about my personality, as someone who never gives up. It doesn’t matter how tough things are, I never give up, I always look forward and always think positively.
“That’s what I try to give to people who follow me, to my family and my friends. As a professional athlete, it’s really important for people to try and feel that inspiration.
“I want people to recognise themselves in me because not everything in life is easy and through my path, I want people to see that everything is possible. It doesn’t matter how hard it is, in the end you can achieve what you want and what you truly deserve.”
Although Brussels-born Mangala started out playing football for fun, it was his father, a former amateur player in the Democratic Republic of Congo, who convinced him he had what it takes to make it to the big time. The midfielder reveals that like many football dads, Mangala senior is both his son’s biggest supporter but also his harshest critic at times, dispensing candid advice after each fixture.
Although he hasn’t made it over to Goodison Park yet since Mangala completed his season-long loan move from Olympique Lyonnais on transfer deadline day, the hope is that he’ll be making a first visit to ‘The Grand Old Lady’ next month and it’s only right given the role he has played, encouraging his boy that he could get to the top. Mangala said: “I’ve always loved playing football and my favourite players were Ronaldinho and Kaka, but the dream to become a professional started late. When I started, I just wanted to play football with my friends, but my father would tell me I could make it and would tell me: ‘Professional, professional, professional.’
“I was a striker back then, and I’d score lots of goals. I signed for Anderlecht when I was seven, but I’d watch the first team on television and I started to think about the prospect of being a professional footballer because I wanted to play in the stadiums, with fans.
“For me, the supporters are so important. The best example was during covid, without fans, it’s boring, I think they make the difference.
“It’s very important for us at Everton too, seeing them so passionate at Goodison Park and travelling to all the away games in great numbers, it gives us an edge.”
Agent Giovanni Bia claimed Mangala had agreed to join Fiorentina until Lyon president John Textor, who was in pole position to acquire Farhad Moshiri’s shares in Everton at the time before the Friedkin Group came back in to seal a takeover deal, but the player himself insists he was always eager to come back to England, especially given the move has received a seal of approval from a couple of former Blues who are his international team-mates. Mangala said: “The squad and the staff have welcomed me very well, so it was really easy for me to adapt. I know a few players too (he and Idrissa Gueye have a mutual friend while Jesper Lindstrom had been an opponent in the Bundesliga).
“The prospect of returning to the Premier League was a big goal. It is very exciting for me, so I was really happy to be able to come back here.
“I spoke to Amadou (Onana) a few days before coming here and he told me good things about Everton. I already knew that Everton is a big club, so I had a good feeling about it.
“He’s a good guy and before he signed for Everton, he also spoke to me. I know that he enjoyed his time here and he spoke about the fans, the club and how everything was good.
“I didn’t speak to Rom (Lukaku) before coming because I knew he was busy with his own transfer to Napoli and settling in, so I didn’t want to disturb him. I’ve seen him since when we were away with the national team and he was very happy – we’re very close, he’s like a big brother for me.”
The late summer sun was still shining down on Goodison Park when Mangala was paraded as an Everton signing in August but as we speak at Finch Farm, the temperature outside the club’s Halewood training complex is zero with the start of winter in the British Isles biting for the first time this year. While the temperatures have plummeted though, the action is just hotting up and following the final international break of 2024 – Mangala played the full 90 minutes of Belgium’s 1-0 defeat to Israel in the Hungarian capital of Budapest on Sunday – he’s ready for an intensive period that will see Sean Dyche’s side play eight more fixtures before the start of 2025.
Next year will, of course, be Everton’s final one at Goodison Park, their home since 1892. Even as a new recruit, Mangala realises the magnitude of the occasion and again his positive thinking ensures he makes a vow for the Blues to end on a high. He said: “I know this type of period, I’ve been here before as I played for Nottingham Forest. I know it’s a busy time, but I’m excited to play this time of year.
“I feel good on the pitch. I was happy to play again because I had a couple of games out of the side.
“I’d say that I’m someone who likes to defend and attack, so I’m more like a box-to-box player. I think my role is just to bring me game to the team, to have a lot of touches and to win duels because if you do that in the Premier League and run a lot, then you have more chance to win the games, so that is what the manager has asked of me.
“For me, I like to play every three days rather than having to wait for the next game. I’m excited to start this period and hopefully we can get as many points as we can.
“I haven’t seen the new stadium, but I know it looks good. It’s the last year at Goodison and I think we should finish it with a really good campaign.
“I think we have a few months now to bring some real joy for the Everton fans. We will try to do it, no, we will do it!”
