Wan-Bissaka’s incredible rise began with a broken trophy cabinet in his parents’ front room
DESPITE all the trophies and photos proudly displayed at his parents’ home, it is a broken cabinet that best captures Aaron Wan-Bissaka’s love of the game.
The Crystal Palace superstar was so obsessed as a youngster that the kick-ups often continued after he shut the front door.
Being the prodigal talent that he is, most of the furniture escaped unscathed.
But one glass cupboard in the far corner of the lounge still bears the scars of some rare, loose control to this day.
After kindly inviting SunSport into their South London home, Wan-Bissaka’s mum Elizabeth explained: “When Aaron was little, he liked playing football too much.
“Sometimes he’d play in the garden, sometimes in the house. He’d kick the ball and break things in the living room!”
Pointing to the damaged shelving unit, still patched up in plastic, dad Ambroise added: “I said to Aaron, ‘I’m not angry, but when you grow up, you buy a new one’.
“I haven’t repaired it yet — as I am waiting for him!”
Covering the cost should be no problem now, given how their son has emerged as one of the most exciting young talents in the Premier League.
Since being thrown in at the deep end against Tottenham 14 months ago due to an Eagles injury crisis, to say the 21-year-old right-back has flourished would be an understatement.
He tops the charts for the defender with the most tackles in England’s top flight and is being chased by Europe’s elite — including both Manchester clubs.
Nothing seems to faze him and his brother Kevin, four years his senior, has a theory for why that is.
His sibling, who played for Kingstonian and Walton Casuals before giving up the game at 21, said: “When Aaron was five, we played at the park across the street.
‘FEARLESS’
“The older kids wouldn’t let Aaron play but as I was there, I’d bring him with me. He’d show his skills and everyone was amazed.
“Because he was playing with older kids, it made him fearless.”
Like any success story, thousands of hours of hard graft produced it — and with such a strong family, Wan-Bissaka had the support to realise his dream.
Ambroise used to turn out for local village teams in Congo before fleeing the war-torn country in 1997.
And he would often cancel cleaning jobs to take his two sons to training.
Wan-Bissaka has paid tribute to the sacrifices his dad in particular made in interviews detailing his rise to the top — yet it has not always been smooth sailing.
When he was 14, the Croydon lad came close to being released.
He has since admitted to attending training either late or tired, eating the wrong food and hanging out with the wrong crowd at the time.
It was a tough period, but Ambroise revealed how it all began and just how close his son came to leaving the Eagles.
The 57-year-old explained: “It wasn’t easy as a parent. I couldn’t sleep.
“He was in a team where he was one of three wingers. Everything was going right — and then they changed manager at Under-14s.
“Aaron had said he was better than the other boys, like boys can do. Some of the parents didn’t like what Aaron had said.
“The parents called the manager and they put Aaron on the bench.
“Aaron changed mentally. Sometimes he’d leave home to go to training — but he would go to the park to play instead.
“The bad food he had was when he didn’t go to training. He would have Coke, chicken and chips. We didn’t know at home. It was a secret.
“I went to the park and told him to come, three times. He said, ‘No’. I said, ‘Why?’ He said, ‘They don’t like me’.”
Ambroise revealed Arsenal and Chelsea were starting to sniff around — but the club convinced his son to stay by guaranteeing him playing time.
Yet when that did not materialise, it seemed Wan-Bissaka was on his way out.
Indeed, Palace had made up their minds to release him. But after a meeting with Ambrose, they agreed to give the youngster a further three-month trial.
Ambroise said: “He was a normal teenager. We used to fight. Sometimes I’d run after him in the park.
“One time I said, ‘You don’t go outside today’. He said, ‘Dad, I must go!’ He opened the door and when I saw him, he jumped over the wall!
“When I could see a friend was no good, I told Aaron myself, ‘I don’t want to see him here’.
“I told him, ‘Don’t bring your future down.
ANGRY NEIGHBOUR
“Don’t lose this opportunity — not everyone has it’. After that, everything changed.”
Wan-Bissaka impressed so much with his improved and committed attitude that within a month of the trial, Palace chiefs handed him a new, four-year deal.
He would go on to become one of their most exciting prospects in recent history — and has another chance to catch the eye tomorrow when Manchester City visit.
But the former striker’s rapid progress has cast doubt over how much longer the South Londoners can keep hold of him.
Brother Kevin, who now works in a South London secondary school, could be forgiven for feeling a pang of envy, given how everything is working out for his kid brother.
Yet he beamed: “Obviously I wanted to be a footballer as well — but I’m proud he has made it to where he is now.”
Pride is the overwhelming emotion felt towards Wan-Bissaka by his family and the people on their estate.
That even goes for a neighbour who used to call the council about him when he was growing up.
Ambroise said: “Sometimes he’d kick the ball into the neighbour’s garden.
“The neighbour was angry and would call the council — they didn’t want to give it back.”
Now when Aaron returns on one of his weekly visits, there is a very different reaction from the neighbour, while all the local kids knock on the door for a selfie.
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It proves how humble he has remained throughout his rise to fame and fortune.
He has even bought his parents the council house they have been living in for more than 20 years — as a way of repaying their unrelenting support.
Though he still has some work to do getting that broken cabinet fixed . . .