'Le Petit Tigana' set to shine

FC Girondins de Bordeaux midfielder Antonio Mavuba has overcome a miserable start in life to become one of the most promising young footballers in France.

Born at sea
Should he shine at the forthcoming UEFA European Under-21 Championship in Portugal, it would be the next step in a remarkable life that began in 1984 when he was born aboard a boat in the South Atlantic ocean as his family were in the process of fleeing Angola. Mavuba, his parents and eleven siblings were all on the ship that took them away from the civil-war torn African republic. "On my passport it's written 'born on board', nothing else," said Mavuba. "I have never asked my brothers and sisters who were on that journey for details."

Family tragedies
Before his second birthday, Mavuba's mother had died. He came to France aged four where his family were registered as political refugees. He was granted French citizenship in February 2005 by which time his father had also passed away - when the player was 13 years old. At seven, Mavuba joined the youth teams at Bordeaux and was to prove an exciting prospect over the course of the following years. Although he did reasonably well at school, he made no secret of his ambition to be a professional footballer.

Obvious ability
Despite his modest size, there was no doubting Mavuba's ability. "His skills are far above average and he is strong mentally," said Michel Pavon, the coach who gave him his Bordeaux debut in a 3-0 defeat at Olympique Lyonnais on 28 January 2004. "He also has the vision to become a professional." His tiny frame has earned Mavuba the nickname 'Le Petit Tigana' after Jean Tigana who spent eight glorious seasons at Bordeaux and won the UEFA European Championship with France. "This comparison is flattering," the 22-year-old said. "But I am a long way from matching his achievements."

Red card
The player's career seemed to take a turn for the worse when he was dismissed during a 2003/04 UEFA Cup quarter-final against Valencia CF. "I felt like everything crumbled during a single moment," he recalled. "But it was a good lesson for me." It certainly did not dissuade then-U21 coach Raymond Domenech from calling him up, and the quality of his performances soon secured him a senior national-team debut against Bosnia-Herzegovina on 18 August 2004 in one of Domenech's first matches in charge.

Competitive position
However, with Patrick Vieira, Claude Makelele, Vikash Dhorasoo and probably Olivier Dacourt and Benoît Pedretti ahead of him in the competition for places for the FIFA World Cup, Mavuba has had to settle for a trip to Portugal this summer rather than a month in Germany. "To have tasted life at senior international level is something that will help when I'm with the U21s," he said. U21 coach René Girard made Mavuba captain during qualifying, after he was called in because of injuries: "He is an example to his team-mates."

Silent commander
A man of few words, he hopes to lead from the front in Portugal. "I feel that all of us are lucky to be in Portugal with such a squad," he said. "We are keen to work hard for one another. There will be strong sides in Portugal and we are not favourites but we won't be beaten easily."