German national team fullback Benjamin Henrichs is yet to get a sniff of first-team action at the Euro 2024. The RB Leipzig player has seen zero minutes of action in the three group-stage games so far. But that doesn’t mean he or his family isn’t having fun by soaking in the atmosphere. For Mama Henrichs, that’s certainly not the case.
Phyllis Henrichs, the mother of Benjamin, was in the crowd for Germany’s match against Switzerland. While the match could’ve gone worse if not for Niclas Fullkrug‘s late equalizer, the scenes after the match were nothing short of joyous, especially in the stands with Phyllis.
In a recently posted video on social media, Phyllis is seen linking up with Henrichs’ national team colleagues. Clad in Germany’s pink and blue away jersey, Phyllis posed for photos with Manuel Neuer, Jonathan Tah and David Raum. ‘Group win with our biggest fan,’ Henrichs captioned the video along with a series of pictures from the game.
Phyllis was especially warm to Neuer, giving the keeper a big hug and dapping hands. Her warmth soon won over the national team players and social media.
This was not Phyllis’ first social media appearance. ‘Mama Africa’ is her social media alias given by her son, and she’s a frequent feature in Henrichs’ YouTube videos and Instagram posts.
In March, she also made an appearance during a game between Germany and the Netherlands to cheer on her son. Henrichs played 12 minutes in the game after coming on as a sub in the 2-1 win for Germany.
Born to a Ghanaian mother and a German father, Henrichs had the chance to represent the AFCON nation as well, but he opted for the latter as Ghana never approached him till 2023.
But by then, Henrichs was called up by Germany after featuring at youth levels for the nation. ‘My mum wanted me to play for Ghana but I think she’s not sad that I’m playing for Germany now. I think she’s still happy,’ Henrichs said in an interview.
Benjamin Henrichs’s mother with David Raum
This was only one of the numerous instances of Phyllis’ support of her son’s decisions. Henrichs’ mother has been with him at every step of his career, from Bayer Leverkusen to Monaco to RB Leipzig. As a gratitude for all the things his mother did for him, Henrichs gifted her a car last year.
‘I just wanted to say thank you to my mom for everything. As a child, she always accompanied me to training in Leverkusen on the bus when she didn’t have a driver’s license yet,’ told Bild. Now with ‘Mama Africa’ going viral more than ever, expect to see more of her in the knockout games of Euro 2024.
