(l)Yves Mutsindo with colleagues at FC Sporting Charleroi in Belgium
In Rwanda’s remote Rubavu district in western Province little was known about Yves Mutsindo when he was growing up but he is destined for stardom thousands of miles away in Belgium.
Just like many children in Africa, Mutsindo, played soccer using balls assembled from banana fibres, sisal and all sorts of polythene and rubber materials.
At the age of 10, Mutsindo moved to Belgium with intensions of meeting his family. His mother Jeanne Mutsindo enrolled him in a football academy just to pass time as he adapted to the new environment.
With his local skills, a football scout notice his innate talent a year later and asked him to join the FC Sporting Charleroi teen’s team.
“At the time I was 11, I competed in the under 12 tournament and that is where I was noticed. All I wanted was to have fun on the pitch,” Mutsindo said.
While Mutsindo played in first division team FC Sporting Charleroi with jersey10 on his back was last year tipped among the youngsters scouted as potential recruits for the Belgium youth national team.
Yves Mutsindo (red jersey) in action
He has since been waiting for the Belgium national football federation to provide the official acceptance letter notification.
Now five years on Mutsindo’s talent as an Attacking Midfielder has made him the first Rwandan national to be enlisted on the under 15 Belgium national team after a year of waiting for the final call to be made.
In an exclusive interview with Kigali Today, Mutsindo said that this is success for him and Rwanda.
“I have a dream of playing in the Belgium (adult) national team, and want to play for Rwanda under 15 or under 17 teams as a way of giving pride to my country,” Mutsindo said.
Mutsindo is among the three youngsters from Sporting Charleroi including Gillet Martin and Owen Van Der Meeren who have been called in the under 15 Belgium national team.
The teenager earlier on last year said that he is waiting to be invited to play for Rwanda and this will be his greatest achievement in his football career.
