Everton’s Orel Mangala has opened-up on an incident in his youth which nearly cost him his ability to walk – and the Belgian international still bears the scars today.
Mangala joined Everton on loan from Olympic Lyonnaise in the summer.
The midfielder has made eight appearances in the Premier League for the Toffees and over the past few games has cemented himself in Sean Dyche’s starting line-up.
Speaking to the Liverpool Echo he said: “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.”
The central midfielder’s social media account, “Mangality” relates to his mindset and mentality which allowed him to get to the top, with the goal being to inspire others.
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He said: “It started when I was at Stuttgart, with my hashtag ‘Mangality’, its 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, its 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.”
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The Brussels-born star started out playing for fun, however, it was his father, a former amateur player in the Democratic Republic of Congo, who told him he had what it takes to make it to the top.
He 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.”
