Before Brazil's match against Uruguay on November 20, Vinicius Junior, star of Real Madrid and the Brazilian national team, discovered his great-grandfathers were from Cameroon through a DNA test conducted as part of a Brazilian Football Confederation initiative, "Golden Roots," to help national team players trace their ancestry.
Vinicius was officially presented with a certificate confirming his African roots before the recent match with Uruguay.
According to the DNA test, the football player comes from the Tikar ethnic group of Cameroon, which is known for their agricultural contributions and blacksmithing traditions. The Tikar traces its origin to a dynastic conflict in the ancient Mbum kingdom, becoming one of the region's most influential ethnic groups.
Beyond the ancestry certificate, the Golden Roots campaign plans a film featuring Vinicius Junior, highlighting the commitment to fighting racism and celebrating diversity in sports.