Boubacar Kamara is the son of a Senegalese migrant and has been a natural leader since childhood. His mother, Cathy, played a crucial role in nurturing his dream to become a footballer. As a passionate Olympique Marseille fan, she laid the foundation for his career. This article shares the story of a footballer who managed to balance his love for the game with his early romantic relationship.
Coralie, Boubacar Kamara’s wife, is a well-known name in France and Belgium. A European celebrity, she put her career on hold, despite some fans’ objections, to build a family with Boubacar. Although Boubacar is four years younger than Coralie, he believes age is just a number. In this article, you’ll learn more about Kamara’s celebrity wife, Coralie Porrovecchio, and their lovely children, Leeroy and Kingsley.
In addition to his love story with Coralie, our article about Boubacar Kamara delves into the untold aspects of his childhood, his passion for football sparked by his mom, and the influence of his parents, Cathy and Mr. Kamara. We’ll explore his family background, the support he receives from his brother Djibril and sister Djena, and his African heritage and ethnicity. This memoir also highlights his personality and football lifestyle.
From Childhood Leader to Pro: Boubacar Kamara’s Great Story
Preamble:
As you delve into Boubacar Kamara’s biography, we aim to satisfy your curiosity about his life story. To kick things off, here’s a visual gallery that spans from his childhood to his current role as a Villa player. Bouba has certainly come a long way on his remarkable journey through life.
The Biography of Boubacar Kamara – from his Childhood Years to the moment he became famous.
Everyone recognizes Kamara for his exceptional skill and ability to win the ball. Bouba’s knack for reclaiming possession within seconds of pressuring his opponent is well-known. Standing at a huge height of 6 feet 1 inch tall, his aerial prowess and physical strength set him apart as one of the top defensive midfielders in the game.
During our research into the story of this French defensive midfielder, we noticed a gap in knowledge. Few soccer enthusiasts have had the opportunity to explore a comprehensive version of Boubacar Kamara’s biography. Therefore, we’ve taken the time to delve into his history. Without further delay, let’s begin.
Boubacar Kamara Childhood Story:
For starters, Boubacar Kamara’s full name includes the Christian name “Bernard” and the Muslim name “Boubacar,” with “Bouba” as his nickname.
Born on November 23rd, year 1999, in Marseille of France, Boubacar Kamara is the first child of Cathy and Mr. Kamara. He is the eldest of three siblings, with a younger brother and a younger sister.
Now, let’s introduce you to Boubacar Kamara’s parents. His father’s contagious smile and his mother’s love provide a warm and supportive family environment.
A photo of Boubacar Kamara’s Parents. His father’s arms were more comforting than anyone else (back then). Bouba enjoyed so much love from his mum.
Growing-Up Years:
Boubacar enjoyed some splendid childhood years in Marseille. The French footballer grew up alongside his younger brother, Djibril Kamara. Djibril, the second son of the family, is older than Djena, who is Boubacar Kamara’s sister.
To this day, a great sibling bond exists between Bouba, Djibril and Djena. And Bouba has got this big brother effect over his siblings.
Let’s introduce you to Boubacar Kamara’s Siblings. His brother (Djibril Kamara) is on the right, while his sister (Djena Kamara) is on the left.
The ex-OM star spent his childhood years alongside his siblings (Djibril and Djena). They all grew up in the 9th arrondissement of Marseille.
Research has it that Boubacar Kamara’s family home was in the Marseille district of La Soude in that beautiful city. This district is the largest in the southern French city.
Boubacar Kamara’s Early Life (Origins of his love for Football):
Growing up in Marseille, young Bouba always expressed his deep love for Olympique de Marseille. His mother, Cathy Kamara, played a pivotal role in fostering this passion. Coming from a family of OM supporters, Cathy would take young Boubacar to the Stade Vélodrome. She was even part of a well-known OM supporters group.
This love for the iconic French club shaped Boubacar Kamara’s early ambitions. By the age of four, he had already embraced his destiny to become a professional footballer.
Understanding their son’s dreams, Boubacar’s father made numerous sacrifices to support his ambitions. He followed his son to every football event and treated Boubacar’s dreams with utmost importance, ensuring his happiness and success.
His ever-supportive Dad valued and nurtured his early quest to become a professional footballer.
Boubacar Kamara Family Background:
As a son of a poor French migrant, Bouba never enjoyed the luxuries of childhood. Unlike what Hugo Lloris (who came from rich parents) experienced, there was no such thing as having expensive toys, but only a soccer ball.
Boubacar Kamara’s parents were once lower-middle-income earners. Cathy and her husband strived to raise their children in the peripheral environment of Marseille city.
In France, it is very common for players from African family backgrounds to come out of humble places. The vast majority of them, like Ngolo Kante and Dimitri Payet, have stories of struggle and overcoming.
That is why, as they succeed in football, they ensure every member of their family enjoys every part of their hard-earned success.
Boubacar Kamara’s Biography story is one of overcoming. From left to right (in the below photo) we have the following members of his family.
Coralie Porrovecchio (Boubacar Kamara’s wife), Djena Kamara (Boubacar’s sister), Leeroy Kamara (Boubacar’s first son), Cathy Kamara (Boubaca’s Mum), Mr Kamara (Bouba’s Dad) and Djibril (Boubacar Kamara’s brother).
Today, this beautiful close-knitted household enjoys every part of Bouba’s footballing success.
Boubacar Kamara Family Origin:
Because he plays for Les Bleus, you can easily guess he has French nationality. However, Boubacar Kamara’s family heritage is diverse.
Put simply, both of his parents are not from France’s mainland but from two different nations which have affiliations with France. This section of our Bio breaks down Kamara’s parental and material origins.
Boubacar Kamara’s Father’s Origin:
The Defensive midfielder has a West African heritage. Research has Boubacar Kamara’s Dad is Senegalese. Many years ago, Mr Kamara migrated from Senegal to live in the 9th arrondissement of Marseille.
Right there, in the Marseille district of La Soude, he met Cathy. Both fell in love with Cathy, got married to her, and had Boubacar, Djibril and Djena as their children.
Boubacar Kamara’s Father is from Senegal, a country located at the westernmost point of the continent.
There are some French footballers with Senegalese origins you might not know about. A few examples include Issa Diop, Ferland Mendy (LB), Ilman Ndiaye and Bafetimbi Gomis.
The Origin of Boubacar Kamara’s Mother:
Cathy Kamara is Corsican, which means her family hails not from mainland France but from the Mediterranean island of Corsica. Although Corsica is part of France, its distinct cultural and geographical identity sets it apart as an island in the Mediterranean Sea. Therefore, while Boubacar Kamara’s mother is Corsican, she is also considered French due to Corsica being a part of France.
Where Boubacar Kamara’s Mum comes from (Corsica) is the fourth-largest island in the Mediterranean Sea.
Boubacar Kamara Ethnicity:
To begin with, Boubacar Kamara is French-Senegalese, stemming from his father’s West African roots. On his mother’s side, he also shares ties to the Romance language group.
Those with roots from Corsica, where Cathy comes from, are typically associated with this ethnic group. Broadly speaking, Boubacar identifies as African French and is part of the Black ethnic group in France.
Boubacar Kamara Education:
While no documentation exists on the exact Marseille-based school he attended, we sure know the footballer is a literate. Boubacar Kamara received his elementary school at Avenue de la Soude in Marseille.
By the time he began schooling (at six), his parents had successfully enrolled him with Olympique de Marseille’s high-quality academy.
This is Bouba’s Olympique de Marseille Academy membership card. It shows the date he joined the academy.
Boubacar Kamara Biography – Football Story:
As seen from his ID card, Boubacar Kamara enrolled with Marseille on September 16, 2005. This means he was just five years, nine months, three weeks, and four days old when he officially began his career with his childhood club.
Despite being one of the smallest, Kamara successfully progressed through the early categories at the French academy.
The youngster progressed through Marseille’s academy as one of the smallest in his age group.
As Boubacar Kamara approached his teenage years, his destiny in football began to unfold naturally. During this time, he showcased his versatility by playing exceptionally well in various midfield positions.
Bouba was a tireless worker, excelling as a right-back, left-back, and in both central and right-sided midfield roles. It was during these early teenage years that he discovered his natural position as a defensive midfielder.
Road to Fame Story:
The fruit of OM, as they call him, began showing leadership tendencies as a teen.
Coaches found Bouba worthy of being the captain, and his captaincy reign continued as he progressed through the different categories within the institution.
As a leader, Bouba led his team to several victories. Blessed with adhesive control, the boy (back then) had that knack of drifting past his opponents like they never existed.
Bouba, in his teenage years, was a leader and a precocious whiz kid who loved to drift with the ball.
One of Boubacar’s best moments in Marseille Academy came when he (a captain) helped his team to the final of the Coupe Gambardella.
Unfortunately, the OM youth captain suffered a narrow defeat to Montpellier. His performance in that competition earned him national recognition.
To the joy of Boubacar Kamara’s parents, their very own got a call to the French u-17 side. He joined a young Les Bleus side that had the likes of Liverpool’s Ibrahima Konate and Chelsea’s Malang Sarr, etc.
At the time they took the photo below, little did Bouba, Konate, and Malang know they would (very soon) be playing in the English Premier League as rivals.
Young Kamara, alongside Ibrahima Konate, Malang Sarr, etc., were once vital to the French youth teams.
Boubacar Kamara Bio – Rise to Fame Story:
At the age of 16, the Marseille youngster had grown so much in his confidence. Kamara got promoted to Marseille’s reserve team, where he spent only a year.
At the tender age of 17, he achieved his long-awaited dream of becoming a professional.
Did you know?… Boubacar made his Marseille debut by being a substitute to former Man United Legend Patrice Evra.
Boubacar Kamara took his first steps as a senior. The display on the screen shows he replaced Patrice Evra.
With his early outstanding performance (even playing in Evra’s role), the United Legend’s services were no longer needed by the club. It didn’t take long for Kamara to become a regular after his debut.
Season by season, he played exceptionally well for his boyhood club under different managers. Popular among them is André Villas-Boas, a former assistant to the Special One, Jose Mourinho.
Boubacar Kamara went on to achieve a meteoric rise with his boyhood club. He became a vital part of an exceptional Marseille team. Bouba enjoyed played alongside some notable names who brought the best out of him.
Popular among them are Florian Thauvin, Mario Balotelli, Arkadiusz Milik, Sead Kolasinac (CB), Mattéo Guendouzi (CM), Cengiz Ünder, Arsenal Legend William Saliba, etc.
Achieving so much fame with this club earned Boubacar a Premier League transfer and a national team call. These achievements happened in the same month.
The Les Bleus call and Aston Villa transfer – all in one month:
Boubacar Kamara’s versatility attracted Didier Deschamps, who in 2022 called him to the Les Bleus.
Being called to the French national team was to avoid Senegal’s manager (Aliou Cissé) to convince him to come play for his father’s country.
Senegal wanted Bouba to fill the space of their ageing defensive midfielders – Idrissa Gueye and Cheikhou Kouyaté.
An injury to Paul Pogba gave Boubacar Kamara the platform to show his worth for his birth country at the 2022 Nations League. The rising star enjoyed a good debut alongside some new names within the team – the likes of Christopher Nkunku, Speedster Moussa Diaby, UCL winner Aurelien Tchouameni, Veteran Wissam Ben Yedder, etc.
Four days after his Les Bleus debut, the official Aston Villa site announced that Kamara has signed a five-year contract. He joined Steven Gerrard’s entourage of superstars – made up of big names like Philippe Coutinho (AM), Douglas Luiz, Villa Academy graduate Jacob Ramsey, 2022 FIFA World Cup Hero Emiliano Martínez (GK), Emi Buendia (AM), Ollie Watkins, Captain John McGinn, etc.
Leaving the boyhood club he had played for since the age of five was a great emotional moment. So emotional, the Bouba realised these parting words;
Some days ago was my last match with OM. With these colours that I have been wearing since I was a little five years old boy.
Truly, I don’t know if there’s ever a nice way to say goodbye.
The story with you could have been different. But time will restore the truths…
I bring with me a lot of memories of this great club.
Thank you sincerely for everything. Forever the first and forever Marseille
The rest, as we say, of Boubacar Kamara’s Biography is now history.
Who is Coralie Porrovecchio?
Boubacar Kamara is a man of class, both on and off the pitch. From a young age, Bouba effortlessly managed a relationship, unlike some of his peers like Dan-Axel Zagadou and Lys Mousset. He entered into a relationship and married early. Now, let us introduce you to Boubacar Kamara’s wife, Coralie Porrovecchio, a woman of stunning beauty.
People call her Miss Belgium beauty. She is Coralie Porrovecchio, Boubacar Kamara’s Wife.
About Coralie Porrovecchio:
Boubacar Kamara’s Wife is a well-known French celebrity. It is important to state that Coralie Porrovecchio didn’t become popular because she married Boubacar Kamara.
She attained fame even long before her husband became a professional footballer. Online rumours have it that Kamara and his girlfriend (Coralie Porrovecchio) had a secret wedding.
Coralie Porrovecchio is an actress and model well known for her role in the Secret Story Television series. In addition to being an actress and TV reality star, Coralie Porrovecchio is a beauty contestant.
Boubacar Kamara’s wife once came second in a Miss Belgium beauty contest. Research has it that Coralie Porrovecchio is four years older than Boubacar Kamara.
According to Coralie Porrovecchio Instagram timeline, her relationship with Boubacar Kamara began in September 2018.
This was the time he became a professional footballer with Marseille. Coralie was modelling for several brands in New York before deciding to go to France. While in France, she met, fell in love and gave her heart to this lucky man.
Coralie Porrovecchio is four years older than her husband. For Bouba, nothing compares with the finding of true love.
Boubacar Kamara’s Children with Coralie Porrovecchio:
After falling in love with the French footballer, she decided to put a hold on her career to focus on building a family.
Early on, Boubacar and Coralie decided to start a home, and this decision led to their secret wedding. On the 23rd day of May 2020, Boubacar and Coralie became proud parents of their first child, a son whom they named Leeroy Kamara.
The birth of Leeroy Kamara saw Coralie Porrovecchio and Boubacar become parents for the first time.
Within a year after the birth of Leeroy, the boy yearned for a sibling companion. For this reason, Boubacar and Coralie decided to add another boy to the bunch. On the 10th day of January 2022, both lovers became parents of their son. The name of Boubacar Kamara’s son (second child) is Kingsley Kamara.
Coralie Porrovecchio and Bouba became parents of their second son (Kingsley) in January 2022.
Personal Life:
Boubacar Kamara is an extrovert who is always optimistic, full of enthusiasm, playful, humorous, and enjoys having relationship fun. He is lucky to find a partner in Coralie who is equally open-minded (like him) and suits his passionate, expressive nature.
Both lovers, together with their dog, always get in the mood to try out something exciting and new.
Lifestyle:
Getting to know how the Villa midfielder spends his holidays would help you get a better picture of him.
Starting off, Bouba and Coralie Porrovecchio are no strangers when it comes to enjoying themselves at the seaside.
For these lovebirds, nothing is as special as having a motorboat ride at their favourite Réunion Island.
Coralie and Boubacar are pictured having a great time at sea.
The Disneyland Paris entertainment resort is another holiday destination for Bouba and Coralie. In the course of writing Footballers Biographies, we notice that Raphael Guerreiro and Giovani Lo Celso are also fans of taking their family members to Disneyland.
Boubacar Kamara’s Car:
The French footballer and his Belgium wife love flashy automobiles. From what it seems, Coralie’s favourite car colour is red.
Boubacar Kamara’s wife is a fan of the red Range Rover car. Also, Mrs Coralie Kamara is a MotoGP fan who fancies the red Grand Prix bike.
As I write this Bio, Coralie boasts of more than 2.2 million followers on Instagram. She is a big lover of flashy cars.
While Coralie Porrovecchio prefers red automobiles and a sporting bike, Boubacar (her husband) prefers dressing to match his white SUV cars.
The Marseille native joins the likes of Manuel Akanji (CB), Ilaix Moriba (CM), and Ansu Fati, who fancy owning white SUV cars.
Boubacar Kamara Family Life:
At the final whistle, the French midfielder never ceases to wave the most important people in his life before making his way down the tunnel.
The support of his Wife, Children, Mum (Cathy), Dad, and siblings gives him that enormous positive energy that helps him conquer things.
Boubacar Kamara’s parents and other family members remain his number one priority. Every other thing (including his career) comes second.
This section of Boubacar Kamara’s Biography tells you more information about his parents, siblings and extended family members (like Alexi). So, without further ado, let’s begin.
Boubacar Kamara’s Mother:
First things first, Cathy celebrates her birthday every 29th of January. Secondly, Mrs Cathy Kamara (thanks to her son becoming a footballer) has decided to get some knowledge about the football business.
This is similar to Ousmane Dembele‘s Mum (Fatimata). Kamara describes his Mum (who made him fall in love with football) as the woman of his life.
Back then, with his mother, Bouba walks regularly to the Vélodrome stadium in Marseille. Today, Cathy is proud to manage vital aspects of her son’s career.
Boubacar Kamara’s Father:
Unlike Cathy, his wife, Mr Kamara is the second most active member of his family when it comes to managing his son’s career. He works together with Cathy as well as Sport Avenir Management International.
This is the company that manages his son, as well as other players like Boubakary Soumaré. Mr Kamara is one of the most important figures in his son’s life.
Djena Kamara – Boubacar’s Sister:
As the baby of the house, she always enjoys some of the last-born privileges, just like Sophia, Ricardo Pepi‘s sister.
Djena Kamara sees her big brother (who has attained global fame status) as her hero. As an older sibling, Bouba teaches Djena how to act around friends as well as handle other peer-related situations.
Djena enjoys a positive sibling relationship with her big celebrity brother.
Djibril Kamara – Boubacar’s Brother:
He, the second child of Cathy, shares a first name with a Reds Legend, Djibril Cisse. Djibril Kamara is now grown up, and our odds are in favour of him following in the footsteps of his big brother.
The younger brother of Boubacar celebrates his birthday every 13th of June. To date, these brothers and sisters remain the oldest friends to each other.
The effects of a perfect sibling relationship between the three now echo through the rest of their lives.
Coralie Porrovecchio’s Brother:
His name is Alexi Porrovecchio, and he is Boubacar Kamara’s relative. Alexi Porrovecchio is the younger brother of Coralie, who is Boubacar Kamara’s wife.
He is best described as a brother-in-law to the French footballer. Similar to Bouba and his siblings (Djibril and Djena), Alexi enjoyed some solid childhood years with his now-celebrity big sister.
This is little Alexi Porrovecchio, as a kid. We pictured him alongside his older sister (Coralie), who is the wife of Boubacar Kamara.
One of Alexi Porrovecchio’s favourite days is the 18th of May – his birthday. The brother of Coralie Porrovecchio was born on the 18th day of May 1998.
By implication, Alexi is one year older than his brother-in-law (Boubacar) and three years younger than Coralie. Here is a 20th birthday picture of Alexi Porrovecchio, who poses alongside his celebrity sister.
Alexi Porrovecchio’s 20th birthday celebration photo.
Boubacar Kamara’s Relative:
Lastly, on his family life, we present to you one of Coralie Porrovecchio’s grandparents. The Belgian, unfortunately, is late. Coralie Porrovecchio’s Grandad was born in the year 1949.
He lived for 70 years before leaving this sinful world in the year 2019. Before his death, Coralie enjoyed some exceptional moments with her granddad, who was glad to see her succeed in life.
Coralie Porrovecchio enjoyed a splendid childhood because of his man, her late granddad.
Untold Facts:
In this final phase of Boubacar Kamara’s Biography, we’ll reveal more information that relates to him. So, without further ado, let’s begin.
Robbery Attack t his home:
Around June 2021, Kamara became a victim of attempted burglary. The criminals broke into his house, forced-opened the garage door and broke his surveillance cameras. Thankfully, no member of Boubacar Kamara’s family was hurt and they stole nothing from the house.
OM had to take extra measures to improve the security of the homes of the footballer. In previous years, a series of burglaries had taken place in the homes of OM footballers like Payet, Gignac and the Ayew brothers (Jordan and Andre Ayew).
Boubacar Kamara Aston Villa Salary:
While playing with The Olympians, he made an annual salary of 2.6 million euros per year. Now at Aston Villa, Boubacar Kamara’s annual salary is £5,609,069.
Comparing Bouba’s Salary to that of the average person living in France:
SalaryExplorer reveals the average person in France makes approximately 49,500 EUR per year. Did you know?… It would take 11 years for the average French earner to make Kamara’s monthly wages with Aston Villa.
FIFA Profile:
Boubacar Kamara joins the likes of Denis Zakaria and Franck Kessie as one of the fastest-rising Defensive midfielders in the world. Apart from attacking, Kamara (at 21) lacks only one thing in football, which is his Free-kick accuracy. Bouba is definitely a guy to sign on FIFA Career mode.
Kamara, a rising star among DMs like Zakaria and Tonali, excels in all but free-kicks. A must-sign in FIFA Career Mode.
Boubacar Kamara Religion:
Although he has a Christian name (Bernard), the Marseille-born Athlete is a devout Muslim. Also, Boubacar’s children (Leeroy, Kingsley) bear Christian boy names.
Regarding Boubacar Kamara’s wife’s religion, our odds are in favour of Coralie Porrovecchio being a Christian. While in his house, Kamara sometimes adopts the style of clothing for Muslim men.
This is Bouba, a devout Muslim, during the Aid Mabrouk celebration on May 13, 2021.
EndNote:
Boubacar Bernard Kamara is the son of a Senegalese father and a Corsican mother. The footballer was born to Cathy Kamara (his Mum) on the 23rd day of November 1999 in the city of Marseille, France. Bernard (his middle name) has two siblings. His sister’s name is Djena Kamara, and she is the last born of the family. Djibril Kamara is Bouba’s younger brother.
The Defensive midfielder spent the whole of his childhood years in Marseille, precisely at the 9th arrondissement of Marseille – the district of La Soude. Boubacar Kamara grew up in a football-loving family, and the love for the sport came to him through family activities. Cathy, an ardent Olympe de Marseille supporter, transmitted his love for OM to her son.
When Bouba was a kid, he, together with his mother, regularly walked to the Vélodrome stadium in Marseille. The love for OM ignited Kamara’s footballing passion. A child of the city, Boubacar Kamara proclaimed his love for the club by joining their academy. He captained the various categories within the institution, including the U19 team.
When he turned professional, Boubacar Kamara decided to raise a family. He began dating Coralie Porrovecchio, a former Miss Belgium beauty and reality TV star. Together, Coralie and Boubacar had a secret wedding. They also became parents to their sons, who go by the names Leeroy Kamara (born in 20202) and Kingsley (born in 2022).
Because of Boubacar Kamara’s Senegalese family heritage, he was eligible to play for Sadio Mane‘s Senegal national team. Didier Deschamps called Kamara in June 2022 to play for Les Bleus. A few days later, Steven Gerrard’s Aston Villa signed the very ‘cholista’ midfielder.
Appreciation Note:
Thank you for taking the time to read our version of Boubacar Kamara’s Biography. Here, we care about accuracy and fairness in our daily routine of delivering you French Football Stories. Our team also strives to deliver the biography of defensive midfielders to you.
Please let us know (via comment) if you notice anything that doesn’t look right in Boubacar Kamara’s Bio. Don’t forget to stay tuned for more French and Senegalese Football Stories. On a final note, kindly let us know what you think about Bouba and his amazing story.
