00:00Ride the wave, they play in France, but they are all from Angola.
00:04Do you remember that Argentine chant that sparked outrage in France for the 2022 Qatar World Cup?
00:11Yes, that bar was labeled as racist and generated a political debate in France.
00:16However, behind it all lies a social, cultural, historical, and political reality.
00:21What do the origins of migration in Europe have to do with football?
00:26Why do so many European footballers have family ties to Africa?
00:31And why is it one of the big realities of the 2026 World Cup?
00:36Stay here, we'll explain.
00:40To begin, we must go back to the 19th century.
00:44Between 1884 and 1885, the major European powers met at the so-called Berlin Conference to divide up Africa.
00:54In that European give-and-take, France, for example, controlled vast territories in West Africa and the north
01:01of the continent.
01:02Belgium kept the Congo and Great Britain expanded its influence over regions such as Nigeria and Ghana.
01:09Germany exercised control over Tanzania and Cameroon, while Portugal dominated Angola and Mozambique.
01:16Just to mention a few examples.
01:18Decades later came independence, but the ties did not disappear.
01:23Millions of people migrated from the former colonies to European metropolises, seeking employment and better opportunities.
01:31Paris, Marseille, León, and Brussels received entire families from Senegal, Mali, Algeria, Cameroon, Ivory Coast, and many other countries.
01:42African countries.
01:43His children grew up in Europe and were trained in European football.
01:47For many, when it came time to choose the national team, a dilemma arose that no previous generation had ever faced.
01:55Some chose the country where they were born, others chose the country of their parents.
02:00That's why, for example, Hakimi represents Morocco despite having been born in Madrid.
02:05That's why many African national teams today have players born in Europe.
02:10Senegal is one of the best examples.
02:13Ten of their players were born in France, but decided to represent the land of their African families.
02:20France, on the other hand, incorporated many sons and grandsons of those migrations into its own national team.
02:25That list includes Kylian Mbappé, Ousmane Dembélé, William Saliba, and I could go on for quite a while because that list is
02:33long.
02:33In this World Cup, football is the main attraction, without a doubt.
02:37However, there will be rivalries that will show us the history of the world in which we live.
02:42If you want to learn more stories from the World Cup and interesting facts about its teams,
02:47Don't hesitate to visit the Espectador website and follow the headquarters on all its social media networks.
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