One of Africa’s foremost stars heading into the 2022 FIFA World Cup will be Cameroon striker Vincent Aboubakar. The 30-year-old, who has amassed 82 caps and 33 goals for the Indomitable Lions, is set to feature at a third World Cup after being part of his national team’s squads at the 2010 and 2014 finals in South Africa and Brazil respectively.
With a club career which has taken him from Cameroon giants Coton Sport to France (Valenciennes and Lorient), Portugal (Porto), Turkey (Besiktas) and Saudi Arabia (Al Nassr), Aboubakar is a hugely experienced campaigner and will be a cornerstone of Cameroon’s team when they take on Switzerland, Serbia and Brazil in Group G at Qatar 2022.
He is also in the prime of his career, as an amazing eight-goal haul at the 2021 Africa Cup of Nations on home soil earlier this year demonstrated. The Indomitable Lions may not have won the AFCON, but they soon made up for that disappointment by securing a ticket for the World Cup at the end of the year.
“We can do great things and we know this,” said Aboubakar. “That at the moment is what is most important and I will do what I have to, to ensure that we achieve our objective.”
The player has long had an affinity for the sport: “As a child I played football just for fun and then eventually I played the Top Cup, where I was voted best player,” he explained. “From there I went on to play at the Brasseries Academy [which has satellites across the country] and in the club. My coaches told me I could do something great in the sport.”
Aboubakar has achieved far more than he could have dreamed as a child, but he could yet add an even greater legacy by leading Cameroon to a great showing at Qatar 2022. If his exploits at a major tournament earlier this year are anything to go by, you wouldn’t bet against him.
Meanwhile, SuperSport viewers on DStv and GOtv will be counting down the days to the 2022 FIFA World Cup in Qatar, with the tournament set to run from 20 November to 18 December and provide the most thrilling distillation of ‘The Beautiful Game’.
*Profile
Full name: Vincent Aboubakar
Born: 22 January 1992 in Yaounde
Position: Forward
Senior club career: Coton Sport (Cameroon, 2009-2010), Valenciennes (France, 2010-2013), Lorient (France, 2013-2014), Porto (Portugal, 2014-2020), Besiktas (Turkey, loan, 2016-2017 / permanent, 2020-21), Al Nassr (Saudi Arabia, 2021-present)
Club career stats: 344 appearances, 139 goals
International debut: 29 May 2010, Slovakia 1-1 Cameroon 1, International Friendly
International stats: 93 caps, 37 goals
Cameroon squads: 2010 World Cup, 2014 World Cup, 2015 Africa Cup of Nations, 2017 Africa Cup of Nations (Champions), 2017 Confederations Cup, 2021 Africa Cup of Nations.
