Kembo « dreams » of the French national team

With excellent performances and a few (very nice) goals since the beginning of the season, Jirès Kembo is currently Stade Rennes’ best goal scorer in Ligue 1 (with five goals).

Possibly the beginning of a breakthrough expected since years for a player who was very quickly announced as one of the hottest prospects of the Academy, after a nice start with INF Clairefontaine.
After a 2010-2011 season spoiled by injuries despite a promising autumn (three goals in three matches against Lyon, Auxerre and Brest), the Franco-Congolese feels now « better and better on the pitch », as he asserted in L’Équipe. « When I’m in, I want to blow up everything! ».

Courted since a long time by the Democratic Republic of Congo, his country of birth, which would like him to play for the « Leopards », like his father Jean Kembo did before him, the Rennes’ player has other ambitions. « The French national team, this is a dream, but also a goal. France is my country as much Congo. I played with France U20 (in Toulon’s tournament in 2008) and U21, so it is logical to think about it, isn’t it? »
Born in Kinshasa and then arrived very young in France, Jirès Kembo only obtained the French nationality at twenty. He was then immediately called-up with the French U21 selection.