Cameroon’s captain, Vincent Aboubakar missed group matches for the 2023 African Cup of Nations (AFCON) following an earlier injury.
The Indomitable Lions struggled to proceed to the round of 16. They face archrivals Nigeria on Saturday 2300hrs, EAT.
Reports stated that 32-year-old Aboubakar participated in his team’s rigorous 90-minute practice on Wednesday.
Aboubakar will play the Super Eagles for the third time, having previously faced them in 2015 and 2017.
In 2015, Cameroon lost 3-0 in a friendly match during his first meeting with the Super Eagles.
In the second leg of the Russia 2018 World Cup qualifiers in Yaoundé in 2017, he played against the Super Eagles.
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The match ended in a 1-1 draw, with the striker scoring his country’s goal from the penalty spot. With eight goals, Aboubakar led the scoring at the AFCON 2021 in Cameroon.
Aboubakar record in AFCON
Aboubakar is the first player to score more than six goals in a single Africa Cup of Nations, surpassing Eto’o’s record of five.
He also became the first Cameroonian in the Africa Cup of Nations to score in more than three consecutive games in the tournament.
Aboubakar scored in every game of the tournament except the semifinal against Egypt in the 2021 edition. (This record also belonged to Eto’o.)
Also, Aboubakar is the first player to break Roger Milla’s record for goals scored by a Cameroonian. Milla scored 7 goals in the AFCON edition, and Vincent broke it by scoring 8 goals.
The legacy of Samuel Eto`o
Eto’o set a record with eighteen goals. He announced his retirement from football in 2019.
In 118 appearances for the Cameroon national team, he scored 56 goals. With 14 goals, Eto`o leads Laurent Pokou of Cote d’Ivoire by three goals.
He also played for major European clubs, such as Inter Milan, Real Madrid, Barcelona, and Chelsea.
Among the many titles he won in his football career are the Olympic Gold Medal, the FIFA Club World Cup, the Champions League, Serie A, LaLiga, Copa del Rey, Coppa Italia, and more.
Aboubakar’s journey with the national team
Aboubakar first featured for the national team on 18 August 2009 in under 20 football team at the Francophone Games in Beirut.
In May 2010, aged 18, he was named to the Cameroon 23-man squad for the 2010 FIFA World Cup.
Successfully he made his debut in the friendly match in 2010 against Slovakia.
In the same year, Aboubakar scored his first goal for the national team, in a friendly against Poland.
He was called up for the 2014 FIFA World Cup in Brazil, and subsequently for the 2015 Africa Cup of Nations.
In the 2017 Africa Cup of Nations, Aboubakar scored an 88th-minute goal in the final to hand Cameroon a comeback 2–1 victory against Egypt.
Consequently, he ended his nation’s 15-year wait for a continental crown.
Also Read: Where Are They Now? 10 Last AFCON Golden Boot Winners
Later that year, he was part of the Cameroon squad at the 2017 FIFA Confederations Cup in Russia.
He scored a consolation goal in their 3–1 loss to world champions Germany in Sochi on 25 June.
Aboubakar is currently the third-highest scorer in the history of the Cameroonian national team.
He is behind the legendary two forwards, Roger Milla who holds 43 goals for Cameroon and Samuel Eto’o with 56 goals.
