New Atlanta United striker Breel Embolo said he’s excited about “a new start in my life,” even as people in Europe are “shocked” at his decision to move to MLS.
Atlanta signed Embolo from Ligue 1 side Stade Rennais for a reported fee of $18 million. The move came amid reports that English Premier League side Ipswich Town made a late push to attract the Swiss international.
While Embolo has yet to train with the Five Stripes as he awaits his work visa, he’s been practicing on his own and is looking forward to the challenge.
“It’s kind of new start in my life. So this was more or less, let’s say the thinking I had, the idea I had,” he said about the move during a roundtable with reporters on Tuesday.
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“I think a lot of people in Europe, they’re a little bit shocked, or they wish maybe to see me in England or in Spain or in Italy,” he added. “But I think it’s also, for me, a sign to show that I’m not coming here just to rest. I want to help the club to get there where I belong, where I want to be.”
Embolo scored twice in leading the Swiss to the quarterfinals of the World Cup, but in the extra-time loss against eventual runner-up Argentina he was sent off in the 72nd minute with the score tied after earning a VAR-assisted second yellow card for simulation.
The International Football Association Board (IFAB) subsequently clarified its guidance to referees, confirming that Embolo should not have been sent off as the VAR protocol for “mistaken identity” cases was not eligible for that type of incident at the World Cup,
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“It was difficult, of course, as an athlete to get the chance to go through to the next round, because I think that’s the most important thing,” Embolo said. “We could win this game. We had the game [in] hand. We’re facing the world champion and we were there to win in this game. I think that hurt the most.”
Embolo said he took three weeks holiday after the World Cup, and upon his return soon gave his word to Atlanta that he would join them.
“You’re just thinking, do you see you there? You see you there? Then one time you wake up and you think, ‘That’s my choice,'” he said. “So I gave my word really early. So I try everything to keep it. So it was for me really important. So when I give my word, I stay to it.”
The 29-year-old added that the World Cup played a significant role in convincing him to come to MLS, as it allowed his wife and children to get comfortable with the idea of moving to the United States.
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“My kids are still thinking we are in the World Cup [mood],” he said with a smile. “So they need to get to school and realize that is a new chapter also for them.
“I was proud and impressed how open [they are] because for me, it’s just not me moving … So it’s not just a decision about me, it’s about all my family. So they were really excited to be fair since the first day. And that helped me a lot also to come here.”
Embolo is expected to fill the role that the since departed Emmanuel Latte Lath previously held. Atlanta spent $22 million on Lath when he joined in 2024, but he failed to deliver, scoring just nine goals in 44 league appearances. He has subsequently been loaned out to Union Berlin.
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Embolo says the team’s message to him is clear.
“They say to be the same player I was, that was pretty easy,” he said. “So to bring all my quality and maybe my default as a human and as a player and to mix it. I think it’s always both sides.
“You need to bring your strength in the team, you need to know the team. I’m maybe not the striker who just wants to score 15, 30 goals, but I’m a big winning guy, so I want to be winning. If I’m not winning, it’s not nice to speak with me in the [next] day.”
