Mathis Éboué, the son of former Ivory Coast international Emmanuel Éboué, has officially joined Chelsea’s youth academy.
The 16-year-old midfielder was unveiled in a signing ceremony held by the London club, though the absence of his father was notably apparent.
According to reports from Ivorian outlet Sportmania, Emmanuel Éboué—who once enjoyed Premier League stardom with Arsenal and was a key figure for the Ivorian national team—was neither invited nor informed of his son’s milestone move.
The reason for his exclusion is understood to stem from long-standing personal tensions with his former wife, Aurélie Bertrand, the mother of Mathis.
The signing ceremony, hosted by Chelsea, reportedly featured only a small group of attendees, limited to close associates of Bertrand.
The club itself has made no official comment on the family matter, focusing instead on welcoming the young Éboué into their academy system.
While Mathis takes his first steps into elite-level football, his father’s absence from the celebrations has drawn quiet attention, given Emmanuel Éboué’s own high-profile history in English football.
Once a fan favourite at Arsenal, the former right-back also represented clubs such as Galatasaray and Sunderland and earned over 70 caps for Ivory Coast before retiring.
Emmanuel Éboué has spoken in the past about the difficulties in maintaining contact with his children following a difficult and well-publicised divorce.
The current situation appears to reflect the continued strain in those family dynamics, with sources suggesting he was unaware that his son was in talks with Chelsea, let alone finalising a deal.
The development has reignited conversations among Ivorian football fans, many of whom remember Emmanuel Éboué for his on-pitch charisma and contributions to the national team.
However, off the field, his personal life has been marked by legal battles, financial hardship, and a widely reported estrangement from his children.
For Mathis Éboué, the move to Chelsea represents a major step forward in what is hoped to be a promising career.
The Premier League club’s academy is widely regarded as one of the best in Europe, having produced the likes of Reece James, Mason Mount, and Levi Colwill in recent years.
Though the circumstances surrounding his signing have sparked public interest for off-field reasons, the club’s focus remains firmly on nurturing the next generation of talent.
Chelsea have yet to provide additional details on Mathis’s development plans, but the young midfielder is expected to begin training immediately with the academy squad, where he will be integrated into the club’s elite youth programme.
As Mathis begins this new chapter, the story of his father’s absence from such a pivotal moment adds a layer of personal complexity to what would otherwise be a celebratory milestone.
For Emmanuel Éboué, once a beloved figure on English football’s grandest stages, the silence around his son’s career beginnings at Stamford Bridge is both poignant and symbolic of the fractured ties that continue to affect his family life.
