A Tribute To Amadou Mbengue: Reading’s Cult Hero

When trying to define what a cult hero is, I struggled to find the right words. I did a little looking around the internet and I found a segment from The Athletic that I think did a reasonable job of summarising it, albeit not entirely accurately:

“Footballing cult heroism is conveniently vague enough as a concept to accommodate a whole spectrum of players who, for one reason or several, formed an affinity with their club’s fanbase almost at first glance, while also being well-defined enough for us to nail down its vital components. Cult heroes can be defenders or strikers, endearing or infuriating, disappear into thin air or stick around forever.”

I think it is not entirely accurate, though still not entirely without its virtue either, because it is missing one key ingredient for what makes a cult hero in football: you need to be a bit mad.

Have a think back over the years about Reading cult heroes. The Tilehurst End helpfully did this, many moons ago. Most likely one name will stand out to you: Robin Friday. And why was he a cult hero? Two reasons: firstly, he was an incredibly talented footballer with a maverick playing style. Secondly, he was nuttier than squirrel poo. We loved him then and he is still spoken about to this day. His Wikipedia page really is quite the read.

Reviewing the aforementioned TTE article, it’s interesting that, since the days it was published, I don’t feel like we’ve had any real stand-out nominations for people who could be considered a cult hero for Reading.

Maybe I am wrong? Possibly John Swift. Maybe Josh Laurent? But both were a little too polished to be considered “cult” heroes. For me, there’s a name that stands out very clearly now. You’ll have guessed who, based on the name of the article and the accompanying picture, but Amadou Mbengue is that man. For starters, it’s a fun name to write and say aloud.

Photo by Visionhaus/Getty Images

Even Mbengue’s start to life as a Royal was somewhat cult-hero iconic. Born in France but opting to represent Senegal in the national teams, he was somewhat of an unknown footballing entity coming from Metz. After making a handful of appearances for Metz’ first team, he was released in the summer of 2022 and found his way to Reading on trial.

However, due to limitations with the payroll due to You Know Who And What, he could only loiter around in the background and train. Eventually, he was able to sign a three-month deal from September 2022 until December 2022, which we were fortunately able to extend until the end of the 2022/23 season, and then extend again on a two-year deal until the end of the 2024/25 season. Essentially, we had no idea who this guy was, what his best position was and what the ceiling of his talent could be, given he only arrived as a 20-year-old with no English! An enigma.

During his first season, he played as a right-wing-back, right-sided centre-back and left-sided centre-back. Even during this season, his second with us, he has played as a right-back, left-back - which seemed to harness his endless energy - and, due to injuries and transfers, found his way into centre-back in a pairing, like he’d been playing there all his life. Bobbins was right – we were lucky to keep him. I honestly have no idea who scouted him or found him but give that person a pat on the back!

Watching him play is just an absolute joy as well. There are three reasons for this, that I think stand out above all things. Firstly, he is just a blizzard of energy. An abundance of speed, power and a little glint of madness in his eye. He is capable of the brilliant and the terrible in a split second and is even able to combine the both into the same moment of play. You just never know what to expect from him, and that makes him so enticing to watch.

Secondly, he clearly has an abundance of talent. He can play quite literally anywhere across that defensive line, even stepping up into midfield. He looks so natural with the ball at his feet; he’s strong, quick, dynamic and reads the game well. There is something indefinably loveable about a talented lunatic, and he really is so very talented and continues to improve game on game.

Lastly – it’s his general appearance. The sight of his multicoloured locks bobbing up and down as he sprinted down the line with limbs flailing was always an endearing one, but since the haircut, the one standout feature that I recall seeing is how he wore his shorts.

In the middle of a cold winter day, he comes on as a sub and has his shorts rolled up so high that they would even be considered too small to be hot pants. How there was no spillage, I’ll never know. It’s all the glint in the eye, the ‘living on the edge of a knife’ energy that he carries around with him. Whatever he does next will either be brilliantly stupid or stupidly brilliant, but never not entertaining.

Photo by Charlie Crowhurst/Getty Images

The thing about cult heroes is that they can sometimes be a nightmare to share a pitch or dressing room with. Some of the stories that you hear about Friday, and it seems Mark Lawrenson can attest to at least one of them, must have had you walking on eggshells around the training ground. However, Mbengue genuinely seems loved around the club. I don’t know if his ‘Cheeseburger’ nickname is still active around the club, but it’s a great story and you can see he´s loved by his teammates.

Tyler Bindon - he of famously hating Swindon - has spoken about how he sees Mbengue as being like an older brother to him. Which itself is mad, given how young Mbengue is (only 22, three years Bindon’s senior). Even Ruben “El Jefe” Selles has praised Mbengue’s unique character and how it serves the team well. The relationship appears stronger than ever, with Selles taking the time to coach, improve and harness the power of Mbgenue’s throw-in prowess. A cult hero always has a trick up their sleeve that no one else has in their arsenal.

Watching him grow in authority in his new(ish) centre-back role, becoming more confident, secure and solid against opposing attacks, has been a joy. Coupled with his first interview in English back in February, you can see he’s enjoying his association with the club and that’s what we like to see: great footballers loving their team. It will be exciting to watch Mbengue continue his journey and keep growing with this young team. It becomes easier to forgive the mistakes.

When I think back to the question I asked at the start of this article, about what defines a cult hero in football terms, I feel like I have a clearer answer now. A cult hero is someone who is talented but unpredictable. Capable of both the sublime and the absurd. A little bit mad, but pleasingly so. Stands out from the crowd, but not above the crowd. Is loved by those around them. Plays with a smile on their face and puts smiles on the faces of those watching them play.

These are all characteristics that fit Mbengue so well, you wouldn’t even need to attach his name to them to know who you’re talking about. And there it is – if you want to define a cult hero, you just need two words: Amadou Mbengue. And he’s our cult hero.