Absent from the Cameroonian selection since the last AFCON 2021, James Lea Siliki does not lose hope of finding a spot in the Indomitable Lions for the World Cup 2022. Reason for which he said, he made the choice to join Estoril which plays in the Portuguese D1.
By leaving Middlesbrough and England, James Lea Siliki wants to give himself the means to play the World Cup with Cameroon. The midfielder then decided to join Estoril, in Portuguese D1 to maximize his chances. But for this September gathering, which should indeed be a barometer for Rigobert Song, Lea Siliki is not called up. However, he does not give up. "To be selectable, you have to be very successful at club level. And to arrive in a club early to be able to meet, to link the minutes and be decisive is something that can allow you to find the selection and defend the colors of your country, "said Lea Siliki in an interview with Goal.
So, his choice to join Estoril is not accidental. James Léa Siliki knows now what he has to do. Because, in less than two months, it is the kick-off of the World Cup (20 November-18 December). "The World Cup has had an influence on my choice," says the former player of Guingamp and Rennes.
Absent from the selection since the AFCON 2021
James Lea Siliki has not returned to the selection since the AFCON 2021. The latter had played his last game for the Indomitable Lions against Egypt in the semi-finals of the tournament. That day, he missed his penalty in the fateful penalty shootout won by the Pharaohs (1-3) after a scoreless extra time.
Since then, the 26-year-old midfielder has not been selected with Cameroon. However, Lea Siliki wants to believe that it is still possible for him to convince the new technical staff of the Indomitable Lions. For that, he will have to quickly impose himself in Estoril to catch the eye of Song. "My playing time tends to grow. After that is it enough or not? I don't know. But it tends to grow because I arrived with a physical delay, so inevitably having had few collective sessions, discovering a new country, a new team, it was necessary to integrate, understand what the coach asked tactically, "he said.
Lea Siliki arrived in Cameroon's national team on June 4, 2021 against Nigeria. He currently has 11 selections for only 324 minutes of playing time.
