Imagine scoring a aim that offers your nation its greatest win ever and being proven a crimson card whilst you have fun.
Something comparable occurred with Vincent Aboubakar of Cameroon on Friday. The 30-year-old created historical past with a header of magnificence because the Indomitable Lions registered their maiden win over Brazil.
The captain then took off his shirt in jubilation and was despatched off for a second yellow card for the offence. Shortly earlier than his 92nd-minute aim, Aboubakar was proven the primary yellow card for rugby for a deal with on Gabriele Martinelli. The crimson card meant that he grew to become the primary participant since Zinedine Zidane within the 2006 remaining to attain and be despatched off in a World Cup match.
In additional agony for Cameroon, they have been knocked out of the World Cup, with Switzerland taking three factors from their showdown with Serbia.
The aim was Aboubakar’s first World Cup aim and in addition meant he moved into third place on Cameroon’s all-time males’s goalscoring listing, behind Samuel Eto’o (56) and Roger Mila (43).
Coming from the Rumde Adjiya (neighbourhood), well-known for producing criminals and drug customers, Abubakar managed to remain targeted.
“He was not like us. He never got involved in some of the questionable things we used to do as young boys,” his brother Michel Dyer stated in an interview earlier this yr. He knew he What he wished as a toddler and he labored exhausting for it.
Football is one thing that I’ve all the time beloved. The love affair, which started in Garoua, the capital of the Northern Territory the place he was born, took Abubakar everywhere in the world, taking part in for golf equipment in Africa, Europe and Asia.
Although huge names have been ignored. He was on his strategy to Chelsea earlier than a misunderstanding over the fee proportion brought about the deal to collapse. This was adopted by strikes to Atlético Madrid and Borussia Dortmund which by no means got here to fruition.
“Growing up, I always wanted to play for Real Madrid, but in life you have to approach everything wisely and in good faith,” he stated.
Although he was by no means in a position to emulate the feat of Eto’o and Mili, Abubakar was anointed their successor by the age of 12.
Aboubakar adopted Mila’s path into European soccer by becoming a member of French facet Valenciennes after the 2010 World Cup. It was throughout that event that Abubakar made his aggressive worldwide debut on the age of 18 because the strike associate of captain Eto’o.
While he definitely hasn’t managed to emulate Eto’o and Milla, he has seen first rate success.
He featured within the Cameroon workforce that gained the 2017 Africa Cup of Nations and gained his Golden Boot at this yr’s AFCON.
Among the alternatives Abubakar has loved, spells at Porto and Beşiktaş have been among the many most high-profile. He introduced 4 league titles and 4 seasons of Champions League soccer.
He may be thought of a shy and reserved participant, however on the pitch, he’s commanding and inspirational, scoring 58 objectives in 125 video games throughout 5 seasons with Porto from 2014.
Vincent Aboubakar of Cameroon is proven a yellow card in the course of the World Cup Group G soccer match between Cameroon and Brazil at Lusail Stadium in Lusail, Qatar on Friday, December 2, 2022. (AP Photo/Alessandra Tarantino)
Injury issues affected Abubakar’s availability whereas at Porto and he selected a one-year deal and a everlasting change to Turkish membership Beşiktaş in 2020. Porto.
In the second half of that season, Abubakar performed a key position in Beşiktaş retaining the Super Lig title and lifting Europa League soccer out of a Champions League group containing Napoli, Benfica and Dynamo Kyiv.
However, health was a daily concern, and Abubakar opted to maneuver to Al Nassr in Saudi Arabia on a free switch.
While soccer has been his life since his youth, Abubakar has managed to take care of different pursuits as properly. Faith has been an integral a part of his life together with his mom who handed away in December 2020 being a deaconess for the Evangelical Missionary Society of Cameroon.
In the final decade although, he has develop into an avid reader.
“I like studying, and for the previous decade, I’ve been studying rather a lot and learning points starting from metaphysics to astronomy, philosophy and plenty of extra. It is essential to learn and perceive this stuff as a result of it helps an individual Brings readability and develops the qualities of 1’s soul,” he stated in a latest interview.
With inputs from TheIndianEXPRESS
