'I played my first game with just one leg'; Nicolas Alnoudji on his debut for Cameroon

By Angu Lesley

Football Writer, kick442.com-Cameroon

Former Indomitable Lions of Cameroon midfielder Nicolas Alnoudji has told this Online portal that, he played through pains barrier on his debut for the Indomitable Lions of Cameroon but was keen on paying back the trust coach Pierre LeChantre had bestowed upon him.

Considered as one of the revelations of Cameroon football between the mid-’90s and early 2000, Alnoudji rose through the ranks of the different national selections of Cameroon upon graduation from the Brasseries Football Academy.

Surprisingly, the midfielder didn’t catch the attention of the gaffers of the senior national team of Cameroon until when Pierre LeChantre was made coach.

The erstwhile Cotonsport of Garoua man still remembers his debut and events in the build-up to his short but satisfactory stint with the Lions.

“Well!! By the first invitation to the Senior team was against Somalia in 2000. I was injured but coach Pierre LeChantre trusted me and brought me to the team. The two games were in Yaoundé. The foreign-based players played the first game, we won by a comfortable score. The coach told the players to return to Club and allow us to complete the job [Laughs! Some decided to stay back]. I was still injured. The coach fielded me in the second game, late Mr. Essomba was very angry that his player was deployed to play with the injury” Alnoudji revealed to kick442.com.

Many Cameroonians who watched the 2002 World Cup qualifiers game saw a complete impressive display from the midfielder that day, though, behind the scenes everything wasn’t easy for the former SC Bastia anchor midfielder.

“I had a very good game against Somalia. I benefitted from the assistance of elderly persons in the team like Bernard Tchoutang among others. I must confess, on that day I played with one leg. I had a muscular problem on my right leg. In principle, I played with my left leg only. Though it was painful, it was a very good experience, especially as we won in front of our people,” Alnoudji disclosed to kick442.com.

That debut display kept Alnoudji in the team. He formed an important part of the team that went on to claim the Olympic Gold medal in 2000 in Sydney and the 2002 AFCON title in Mali.

Alnoudji won just over 20 caps for the Central African nation but left an indelible mark in the hearts of the thousands of the Indomitable Lions of Cameroon.

These days, the 40-year-old former PSG and Rizespor midfielder has returned to his native Garoua for a comfortable life with his family.

He can only be proud of an international career that ended in 2002 especially as he averages a trophy every 10 games for Cameroon.

In the full interview, this weekend with this Pan African Sports News Agency, Alnoudji has revealed some jaw-dropping details about his time in the national team including how they defy the odds to win Gold at Sydney 2000 and his next plans.

The man with a professional footballer’s experience in 8 countries is our guest.