Former Arsenal defender Emmanuel Eboué was once a Premier League fan favorite, known for his rampaging runs up and down the right flank during his peak years with the Gunners. However, the past few years have been filled with personal troubles for Eboué off the pitch – most notably his divorce from wife Aurélie after nearly a decade of marriage. One lingering question around their split remains unanswered publicly – namely, does Eboué have any children with Aurélie from their time together?
Emmanuel Eboué’s Playing Career and Marriage
Eboué first burst onto the scene with Arsenal back in 2005 after arriving from Belgian side Beveren. Under manager Arsène Wenger’s guidance, the energetic Ivorian defender soon earned a regular starting role. From 2005-2011, Eboué made over 200 appearances with Arsenal, winning the 2005 FA Cup and playing in the 2006 UEFA Champions League final.
After falling down the pecking order at the Emirates, Eboué transferred to Turkish giants Galatasaray in 2011, where he regained his best form. He spent five successful seasons in Istanbul, winning three Turkish Super Lig titles.
It was during these glory days that Eboué married his wife, Aurélie Bertrand, in a small London ceremony in 2010. At the time, he told the press she was his “rock” and that he couldn’t wait to start a family together. Away from the pitch, however, tensions brewed between the couple over the coming decade.
Emmanuel Eboué’s Divorce in 2019
In December 2019, reports emerged that CZ in a bitter divorce after nine years together. The Arsenal icon was estranged from his wife and had apparently lost his fortune due to a series of poor financial decisions. The ugly split represented a low point for Eboué, who later admitted he was plunged into a deep depression following the divorce.
The reasons for the divorce centered mainly around financial disputes and mistrust between Eboué and Aurélie regarding lost earnings. Throughout their separation and subsequent divorce proceedings, there was no mention publicly of children being involved in any custody arrangements.
Some key insights into Eboué’s personal struggles at the time:
- Lost most of £15m career earnings due to dubious investments and lending money to others
- Reportedly slept on the floor at a friend’s house after split
- Battled crippling depression and suicidal thoughts
- Aurélie initiated divorce due to ongoing financial deceptions
The divorce left Eboué devastated emotionally and fighting for his mental health. Professionally, the former Premier League star had hit rock bottom in his personal life off the field.
Insights Into Emmanuel’s Personal Life After Divorce
Eboué later opened up about reconciling with Aurélie in an emotional 2020 interview with The Sun. He admitted still loving his ex-wife despite the divorce and regretted his past mistakes:
“I still love her and am still in touch with Aurélie.”
However, it seemed their relationship remained solely amicable co-parents:
“She is never going to go back to me romantically but she has feelings for me as we have three kids together.”
So, do Emmanuel Eboué and Aurélie Bertrand have children? According to Eboué himself, yes – three kids resulted from their marriage. The former Galatasaray defender mentioned his three children – two daughters, Clara and Maeva, and a son named Mathis.
Beyond confirming having three kids, Eboué kept further family details private. While he still resides primarily in London post-divorce, it is unclear if he has partial custody of the children or pays child support. Given his revelation about suicidal thoughts and battles with depression, Aurélie likely has full custody.
Social Media Offers Clues But No Definitive Proof
Further searches on social media platforms offer little additional evidence on the matter. Both Emmanuel Eboué and Aurélie Bertrand have private Instagram accounts with no visible photos or mentions of their children.
Some fan forum message boards feature speculation about Eboué’s family status, but contain no solid proof like photos or official documents confirming children from his marriage. However, given Eboué’s revelations in 2020 and the expected desire for privacy around his family, it makes sense that he shields his children entirely from the public sphere.
In summary – here is what is definitively known:
- Emmanuel Eboué admits to having three children with ex-wife Aurélie as per his 2020 interview
- No further specific details or physical proof exists publicly verifying Clara, Maeva, Mathis Eboué as his children
- Social media offers no further insights or clues due to understandable privacy reasons
Unless Eboué himself provides more information someday, it appears unlikely definitive confirmation of his children’s names, ages, or photos will surface publicly given their protective privacy barriers. So while Eboué confirms sharing three kids with Aurélie, their identities and lives seem certain to remain entirely anonymous.
Conclusion
In the absence of legal documents, photos, or visible verification online of Clara, Maeva and Mathis Eboué, taking the word of their famous father remains the only source confirming Emmanuel Eboué has three children resulting from his decade-long marriage to Aurélie Bertrand.
While more in-depth insights into their family dynamic, living arrangements, and custodial specifics remain protected from the public eye, Eboué himself has finally put to rest the mystery around children from the relationship that defined his playing career peak in the late 2000s. For the Arsenal and Galatasaray icon, focusing on fatherhood today seems a higher priority than revisiting past tabloid headlines from his turbulent divorce.
Hello I am Gavin Hunt,
I has covered sports for over 20 years. I started writing for his college newspaper.
I reported on college sports. After graduating, became a sports reporter for a small local paper.
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