Thomas N'Kono

Thomas N'Kono (born 20 July 1956) is a Cameroonian former professional footballer. One of the greatest goalkeepers from the continent of Africa, he was mainly associated with Espanyol, whom he represented for almost a decade playing more than 300 official matches.[2]

Thomas N'Kono
N'Kono training with Espanyol (GK coach)
Personal information
Date of birth (1956-07-20) 20 July 1956[1]
Place of birth Dizangue, Cameroon[1]
Height 1.83 m (6 ft 0 in)[1]
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)
1982–1990 Español 272 (0)
1991–1993 Sabadell 70 (0)
1994 Hospitalet 0 (0)
1994–1997 Club Bolívar 92 (0)
Total 556 (0)
International career
1975–1994 Cameroon 63 (0)
Managerial career
2009 Cameroon
*Club domestic league appearances and goals

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

Playing career

Club

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.[3]

N'Kono hardly ever missed a game while with the Catalans, going on to make 333 competitive appearances.[4] In the 1988–89 season, however, he was not able to help prevent the team's La Liga relegation, and was eventually replaced by Vicente Biurrun.[3]

N'Kono would play three more years in Spain, incidentally also in Catalonia, with CE Sabadell FC (Segunda División)[5] and CE L'Hospitalet.[6] He retired in his 40s at Club Bolívar from Bolivia, and subsequently returned to his main club as a goalkeeping coach, helping develop young talent and countryman Carlos Kameni.[7][8]

N'Kono placed second in IFFHS' "African Goalkeeper of the Century" elections, behind Joseph-Antoine Bell.[9]

International

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 starter, as the nation went out in the group stage without losing a match and exited in the quarter-final against England, respectively.[10]

The 37-year-old N'Kono was called as backup to Bell in the last minute of the 1994 edition's preparations, and did not play.[11]

Coaching career

N'Kono served as assistant coach to the Cameroon national team, at the same time as being goalkeeping coach at former club Espanyol.[12] In 2002, he was arrested by Malian 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,[13] and eventually received a one-year ban,[14] which was then lifted, although he was not allowed to sit on the bench for the final;[15] the former also received an apology from the office of the Malian president.[16]

N'Kono, who was the national side's goalkeepers coach, also worked briefly as interim manager after German Otto Pfister resigned in protest.[17] The following month, as Paul Le Guen took the reins of the team, he was reset in his old post.[18][19]

Style of play

N'Kono was a tall, strong, dynamic and athletic goalkeeper, who was known in particular for his speed, agility, reactions, positioning, and ability to produce spectacular and acrobatic saves. One of his most notable characteristics was his ability to come out and punch the ball away with power when crosses were delivered into the area; his unique, instinctive and aggressive style inspired Gianluigi Buffon as a youngster.[20][21][22]

A commanding presence in goal, N'Kono also stood out for his composure, confidence and leadership throughout his career. In addition to his goalkeeping abilities, he was also known for his moustache and for wearing long trackpants instead of shorts; furthermore, he also had a penchant for performing flamboyant and acrobatic celebrations during matches. Unlike compatriot Bell, he preferred to position himself in deeper areas, rather than rushing out to sweep up the ball.[23][24][25][26][27][28][29][30][31][32][33]

Legacy

Buffon declared that he decided to play in the goalkeeping position after seeing N'Kono's performances at the 1990 World Cup. In addition, he named his first son Louis Thomas in the Cameroonian's honour.[25][34]

Honours

Canon Yaoundé

Espanyol

Bolívar

Cameroon

Individual

References
  1. Thomas N'Kono at WorldFootball.net
  2. "Tommy N'KONO" (in Spanish). Hall of Fame Perico. 21 May 2009. Retrieved 15 December 2009.
  3. Ortega, Albert (12 April 2021). "N'Kono: "Aún no he podido ver repetida la final de la UEFA ante el Bayer Leverkusen"" [N'Kono: "I still have not been able to watch that UEFA final against Bayer Leverkusen again"]. El Confidencial (in Spanish). Retrieved 5 January 2022.
  4. "La previa del Espanyol-Sabadell" [Espanyol-Sabadell preview] (in Spanish). RCD Espanyol. 19 February 2021. Retrieved 29 April 2021.
  5. "N'Kono ficha a los 35 años por el Sabadell" [N'Kono signs for Sabadell at the age of 35]. El País (in Spanish). 26 June 1991. Retrieved 5 January 2022.
  6. "N'Kono: "Estoy preparado para jugar el Mundial"" [N'Kono: "I am ready to play the World Cup"]. Mundo Deportivo (in Spanish). 30 January 1994. Retrieved 11 July 2015.
  7. Minshull, Phil (27 December 2004). "Kameni keeps Espanyol clean". BBC Sport. Retrieved 15 December 2009.
  8. "De la Peña anuncia el final de su carrera profesional" [De la Peña announces end of professional career]. El Mundo (in Spanish). 19 May 2011. Retrieved 13 December 2011.
  9. Stokkermans, Karel (30 January 2000). "IFFHS' Century Elections". RSSSF. Retrieved 25 December 2009.
  10. Wilson, Jonathan (15 May 2014). "England's performance at Italia 90 World Cup is venerated too much". The Guardian. Retrieved 5 November 2020.
  11. "LA XVe COUPE DU MONDE DE FOOTBALL | Eternel Cameroun Les "Lions", toujours là et toujours la même pagaille" [XV FOOTBALL WORLD CUP | Eternal Cameroon The "Lions", always there and always the same mess]. Le Monde (in French). 19 June 1994. Retrieved 5 November 2020.
  12. Hawkey, Ian (2010). Feet of the Chameleon: The Story of African Football. Portico. p. 263.
  13. "Nkono in 'black magic' claim". BBC Sport. 7 February 2002. Retrieved 15 December 2009.
  14. "Nkono gets one-year ban". BBC Sport. 9 February 2002. Retrieved 15 December 2009.
  15. "Nkono ban lifted". BBC Sport. 16 April 2002. Retrieved 15 December 2009.
  16. Hawkey, Ian (2010). Feet of the Chameleon: The Story of African Football. Portico. p. 264.
  17. "Nkono is Cameroon caretaker". BBC Sport. 2 June 2009. Retrieved 15 December 2009.
  18. "Cameroun: Le Guen garde N'Kono" [Cameroon: Le Guen keeps N'Kono] (in French). Sport Ivoire. 29 July 2009. Retrieved 11 April 2018.
  19. "Songo'o replaces N'Kono as Lions goalkeeping coach". Post Newsline. 19 February 2010. Retrieved 11 April 2018.
  20. "Nkono, the acrobatic pioneer". FIFA. 5 August 2008. Archived from the original on 20 October 2016. Retrieved 19 October 2016.
  21. "Buffon rispolvera i ricordi, da N'kono al Parma e quel rigore-scudetto contro la Juve: "Pensai che l'arbitro..."" [Buffon dusts off his memories, from N'Kono to Parma and that title-deciding penalty against Juve: "I thought that the ref..."] (in Italian). Goal. 27 February 2009. Retrieved 4 September 2018.
  22. Clari, Valerio (3 June 2009). "N'Kono c.t. del Camerun – Il mito che ispirò Buffon" [N'Kono Cameroon h.c. – The legend who inspired Buffon]. La Gazzetta dello Sport (in Italian). Retrieved 19 October 2016.
  23. "Italia-Camerun e l'accusa di combine" [Italy-Cameroon and the match-fixing accusations] (in Italian). Mediaset. 2 March 2010. Retrieved 19 October 2016.
  24. Cabras, Pietro (23 April 2012). "Vi ricordate N'Kono? Noi vi diciamo come vive" [Do you remember N'Kono? We'll tell you how he lives]. Corriere dello Sport (in Italian). Archived from the original on 23 April 2013. Retrieved 19 October 2016.
  25. "Buffon: A big save is as important as a goal". FIFA. 6 May 2013. Archived from the original on 6 June 2013. Retrieved 5 May 2014.
  26. "Buffon: "Contro i portieri regole disumane"" [Buffon: "Inhumane regulations against goalkeepers"]. Corriere dello Sport (in Italian). 27 December 2013. Archived from the original on 11 February 2016. Retrieved 19 October 2016.
  27. Horncastle, James (15 May 2014). "Best XI of the World Cup's greatest goalkeepers". ESPN FC. Retrieved 19 October 2016.
  28. "Mondiali, -1: da Yashin a Buffon, i portieri nella storia" [World Cup, one day left: from Yashin to Buffon, the goalkeepers who made history] (in Italian). Sky Sport. 11 June 2014. Retrieved 19 October 2016.
  29. "Qui sont les idoles de vos idoles?" [Who are the idols of your idols?] (in French). FIFA. 19 February 2016. Archived from the original on 25 August 2016. Retrieved 19 October 2016.
  30. "Nkono: I'm honoured to be Buffon's inspiration". FIFA. 21 March 2016. Archived from the original on 2 April 2016. Retrieved 19 October 2016.
  31. Wilson, Jonathan (7 September 2018). "Why is David de Gea exceptional for United and indifferent for Spain?". The Guardian. Retrieved 4 April 2021.
  32. Buffon, Gianluigi (14 October 2019). "Letter to my younger self". The Players' Tribune. Retrieved 14 October 2019.
  33. Velázquez de León, Mauricio (2010). 20 Soccer Legends (First ed.). New York: Rosen Publishing. p. 32. ISBN 978-1-4358-9136-4.
  34. "«Difficile de garder notre titre»" ["Hard to defend our title"]. Le Figaro (in French). 14 June 2010. Retrieved 18 December 2013.
  35. Schöggl, Hans. "Cameroon – List of Champions". RSSSF. Retrieved 24 June 2016.
  36. Boesenberg, Eric. "African Club Competitions 1978". RSSSF. Retrieved 24 June 2016.
  37. Boesenberg, Eric. "African Club Competitions 1980". RSSSF. Retrieved 24 June 2016.
  38. "Leverkusen 3–0 Espanyol". UEFA. 18 May 1988. Retrieved 24 June 2016.
  39. Martínez, Alberto (21 May 2016). "N'Kono y sus vivencias en Bolivia, donde es un héroe con récord" [N’Kono and his experiences in Bolivia, where he is a heroe with a record]. Diario AS (in Spanish). Retrieved 24 June 2016.
  40. Boesenberg, Eric; Stokkermans, Karel; Mazet, François. "African Nations Cup 1984". RSSSF. Retrieved 24 June 2016.
  41. Boesenberg, Eric; Mazet, François; Stokkermans, Karel; Gorgazzi, Osvaldo José. "African Nations Cup 1986". RSSSF. Retrieved 24 June 2016.
  42. Pierrend, José Luis. "African Player of the Year". RSSSF. Retrieved 24 June 2016.
  43. "IFFHS All Time Europe men's Dream Team". International Federation of Football History & Statistics. 29 May 2021. Retrieved 2 October 2021.
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