Thomas N'Kono

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Thomas N'Kono
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N'Kono training with Espanyol (GK coach)
Personal information
Date of birth (1956-07-20) 20 July 1956 (age 67)
Place of birth Dizangue, Cameroon
Height Script error: No such module "person height".
Position(s) Goalkeeper
Youth career
Éclair Douala
Senior career*
Years Team Apps (Gls)
1974–1975 Canon Yaoundé 3 (0)
1975–1976 Tonnerre Yaoundé 17 (0)
1976–1982 Canon Yaoundé 102 (0)
1982–1991 Español 241 (0)
1991–1993 Sabadell 70 (0)
1994 Hospitalet 0 (0)
1994–1997 Club Bolívar 92 (0)
Total 525 (0)
International career
1976–1994 Cameroon 112 (0)
Managerial career
2009 Cameroon
*Club domestic league appearances and goals

Thomas 'Tommy' N'Kono (born 20 July 1956) is a Cameroonian retired footballer.

Arguably the greatest goalkeeper Africa has ever produced, he is mainly associated to Espanyol, whom he represented for almost a decade appearing in more than 300 official games.[1]

N'Kono appeared for the Cameroonian national team in three World Cups, and four Africa Cup of Nations tournaments.

Club career

N'Kono was born in Dizangue. After playing in his country with Canon Yaoundé and Tonnerre Yaoundé he moved to Spain with RCD Español in 1982, after solid performances in the FIFA World Cup played in that country. He received the France Football African Footballer of the Year award in that year, and also in 1979.

With the Catalans N'Kono hardly ever missed a game, going on to amass more than 300 official appearances. In the 1988–89 season, however, he was not able to help prevent the club's La Liga relegation and, by the time it returned to the top division, he was already second-choice to younger Vicente Biurrun.

N'Kono would play three more years in Spain, incidentally also in Catalonia, with CE Sabadell FC (second level) and CE L'Hospitalet.[2] He retired already in his 40's with Club Bolívar from Bolivia, and subsequently returned to his main club as a goalkeeping coach, helping develop young talent and countryman Carlos Kameni.[3][4]

International career

A Cameroonian international for almost two decades, N'Kono played in three World Cups: 1982, 1990 and 1994. In the first two he was the undisputed starter, as the nation went out in the group stage without losing a match and valliantly exited in the quarter-final against England, respectively; in the very last minute of the 1994 edition's preparations, the 39-year-old was called as backup to Joseph-Antoine Bell, and did not play.

N'Kono, who was the national side's goalkeepers coach, also worked briefly as interim coach after German Otto Pfister resigned in protest.[5] The following month, as Paul Le Guen took the reins of the team, he was reset in his old post.[6]

Controversy

In 2002, N'Kono was arrested by riot police for allegedly using "black magic", prior to the African Cup of Nations semi-final against Mali (3–0 win). He was dragged onto the running track after stepping onto the pitch at the 26 March Stadium, alongside coach Winfried Schäfer,[7] and eventually received a one-year ban,[8] which was then lifted, although he was not allowed to sit on the bench for the final.[9] There was speculation that an object found in his pocket was a black-magic charm aimed at helping Cameroon's cause.

Personal life

Italian footballer Gianluigi Buffon, also a goalkeeper, declared he decided to play in that position after seeing N'Kono's performances at the 1990 World Cup. In addition, he named his son Thomas in the Cameroonian's honour.[10]

Honours

Club

Canon Yaoundé
Español
Bolívar

Country

Individual

References

  1. ↑ Espanyol archives; Hall of Fame Perico, 21 May 2009 (Spanish)
  2. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  3. ↑ Kameni keeps Espanyol clean; BBC Sport, 27 December 2004
  4. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  5. ↑ Nkono is Cameroon caretaker; BBC Sport, 2 June 2009
  6. ↑ Cameroun: Paul Le Guen garde Thomas Nkono comme entraîneur des gardiens (Cameroon: Paul Le Guen keeps Thomas Nkono as goalkeepers coach) (French)
  7. ↑ Nkono in 'black magic' claim; BBC Sport, 7 February 2002
  8. ↑ Nkono gets one-year ban; BBC Sport, 9 February 2002
  9. ↑ Nkono ban lifted; BBC Sport, 16 April 2002
  10. ↑ «Difficile de garder notre titre» («Hard to defend our title»); Sport24, 14 June 2010 (French)

External links

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