Cameroon: A look back at “Magic” P atrick Mboma
Africa, his pointe fort
“When I leave for the Olympics, I had already achieved everything I hoped for with the national team. And I can’t imagine getting a medal,” Mboma told Fifa.com.And 15 days later, we win. And you have to know that at that time, Cameroon had never won gold. The joy was just immeasurable. I still try to describe it more than 20 years later. This gold medal is my greatest joy as a footballer. As an additional reward after this Olympic medal, the native of Douala won the African Golden Ball the same year.
Two years later, the Indomitable Lions won again the AFCON (2002). Mboma finished top scorer with 3 goals. He did it again at the AFCON 2004, this time scoring 4 goals. He announced his international retirement on the evening of the elimination of his country in the quarterfinals. With 33 goals in 55 appearances, he has the best ratio of goals/game in the history of the Cameroonian selection.
A professional career not so brilliant
Consultant for the French channel Canal+, Patrick Mboma is not one of those soccer geniuses to whom the sky has given everything. From an early age, he quickly understood that talent is built and maintained. Leaving Douala at the age of 12, his scoring skills opened the doors of Paris Saint-Germain in 1990. But he played for a long time in the reserves, blocked on the front line by a trio of galactics formed by George Weah, David Ginola and Amara Simba.
Convinced that a great career awaited him, he decided to force his fate. He first joined Châteauroux on loan (1992), then Metz (1995). Mboma played about sixty games with these two clubs, and scored 26 goals. He then flew to Japan where he signed with Gamba Osaka in 1997. Mboma’s confidence grew and he finished as the top scorer in the J League with 25 goals in 28 games.
Shortly before the 1998 World Cup, Mboma returned to Europe for a chance to be selected with Cameroon. The author of the masterly bicycle of October 4, 2000 at the Stade de France (1-1 in a friendly against Les Bleus) signed with Cagliari (1998) and Parma (2000). But repeated injuries and the back and forth with the national team penalized him. He left Parma after a season and a half for England. But the stay in Sunderland goes badly (9 games played, 1 goal scored). Direction Al-Ittihad Tripoli in Libya, before a return to Japan to finish at Vissel Kobe (2004-2005). Nearly 17 years after hanging up his boots, the 52-year-old consultant is again playing for the Indomitable Lions. But this time, as an ambassador.
