Junior Nsemba to follow in his famous football uncle’s footsteps at Wembley… as Wigan Warriors support bid to secure Challenge Cup victory

• Nsemba’s Wigan will face Warrington Wolves in the final on Saturday afternoon
• His uncle played at Wembley for Cameroon, captaining their team against England
• The teenager told how he turned his back on football to pursue rugby

When Junior Nsemba steps out at Wembley on Saturday afternoon, he will be following in the footsteps of a famous family member. “I’ll definitely send him a picture of the ground so he can bring back memories,” says the 19-year-old Wigan Warriors prop.

The recipient of that picture? Nsemba’s uncle, Rigobert Song. The former Liverpool and West Ham defender played at Wembley in his Twin Towers days, captaining Cameroon in a 2-0 friendly defeat against Glenn Hoddle’s England in 1997.

Song – who is married to the sister of Nsemba’s father Pascal – is the most capped footballer in Cameroon’s history. He appeared in four World Cups and managed them at the latest tournament in Qatar before being sacked in February.

“My dad always tells me what a good player he was,” says Nsemba, whose parents immigrated to Wigan from Cameroon before he was born. “It’s hard to raise his name because he’s done a lot of great things. He hasn’t been to a match yet, but hopefully I can take him down one day.

Nsemba got his start in football himself, playing for local junior club Winstanley Warriors. His football-mad father dreamed of emulating his uncle in the sport. However, Nsemba soon discovered that he was better suited to an oval ball than a round one.

“I just didn’t really like football,” admits the towering teenager. “I was constantly being moved around, from striker to centre-back, and I asked my dad if there was another sport I could try.

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“Wigan St Judes was across the road from Winstanley and as soon as I touched a rugby ball I fell in love with the sport. At around 13, I was told I had to make a decision and I chose rugby.’

Nsemba was soon noticed by current Wigan head coach Matt Peet, who brought him into the Warriors fold and handed him his Super League debut as an 18-year-old in 2022.

When he scored his first senior try in a Challenge Cup win at Leeds last year, BBC commentator Dave Woods uttered the memorable words: “Remember, remember, Junior Nsemba.” And the 6ft 5in Nsemba has since shown he is not likely to be forgotten, establishing himself as a first-team regular and becoming one of the best young talents in rugby league.

This season, he took his chance with the Super League champions in the absence of his hero and mentor Willie Isa, who broke his ankle in April. “When I first started watching rugby, Willie was the person I looked up to,” admits Nsemba. “I’m covering his position now and I feel like I’m doing a good job.

“But before and after games, I talk to Willie and ask him what he thinks I can do better. I am lucky to have him as a mentor.

Nsemba is also guided by his Christian faith, proudly showing Mail Sport his tattoo of a lion, a lamb and a cross on his right forearm. “I go to church on Sundays when I can,” he says. “Before games, I listen to a little bit of exercise, R&B, then switch to gospel to wind down before a game.”

He admits it will be harder than normal to keep his cool ahead of today’s Challenge Cup final against Sam Burgess’s Warrington Wolves. “It’s a big occasion and I’m nervous,” says Nsemba, who will have 15 family members and friends in the crowd.

“Ever since I started playing rugby I’ve always wanted to achieve something and to even get to Wembley is a really good achievement. It’s a dream come true.

If he continues on his current trajectory, it won’t be long before Nsemba realizes another dream playing for his country – albeit a different one from his uncle.

“There are very few Cameroonian players in rugby league and it’s special to be one of them,” adds Nsemba. “But it would be amazing to play for England one day. If I can continue to work hard and do what the coaches ask of me, then hopefully at some point in my life I will get there.