With each game, Christopher Wooh does everything to impress and make a mark. The last great striker to bow to his technique, positioning and maturity was Kylian Mbappé. The proof. On March 19, on the evening of the defeat of PSG against Rennes, at the Parc des Princes (0-2), the French world champion went to the Cameroonian defender and asked him for his shirt. A "phenomenon" that does not occur every day for the Parisian striker who lived a difficult evening against the Rennes defender. That evening, Wooh was indeed solid and did not let anything passthrough.
Naturally discreet, Christopher Wooh surprises by his talent. At 21 years old, the native of Louvres makes his nest, everywhere he goes. If he succeeds well at club level, it is now in the national team that he puts the competition to the test. In Cameroon, there is (almost) no more talk of Michaël Ngadeu, the colossus of KAA Gent and 2017 African champion. Wooh having taken his place. A dream come true for the one who was still defending the colors of the U17 and U20 teams of France a few years ago.
When Eto'o moves for Wooh
Born to Cameroonian parents and courted by France, Christopher Wooh has always known which country to choose: "Since I was young, I always told my parents that if I had to choose, it would be Cameroon. I have always watched Cameroon games with passion".
His wish came true in March 2022. The first person to give him a heads up was his teammate, Ignatius Ganago, who told him that the president of Fécafoot, Samuel Eto'o, was going to get in touch with him. Surprised, Wooh did not take the news seriously.
Cameroon? "A choice of the heart"
"I told myself he was lying," Wooh recounted in an exchange with Footballogue. Ten minutes later, Eto'o called me and said he wanted to arrange a meeting in Lens so that I could exchange with his team." It is finally in early May 2022 that Samuel Eto'o will go in person to France to convince the defender to join the Indomitable Lions.
The RC Lens nugget did not hesitate: "It is a choice of heart. When I had the president (Samuel Eto'o) I made my decision directly. The time to settle the administrative issues, the player was called for the first time in June, for the match Burundi - Cameroon of the second day of the 2023 AFCON qualification.
Once arrived at the Indomitable Lions, the player trained in Chantilly shows his objective: "My ambition is to quickly get a starting place in the group. I am here to fight and prove that I have my place in the team. Personally, I think I have good qualities. However, on June 9 at the Benjamin Mkapa National Stadium in Dar es Salaam, he started on the bench before replacing Michaël Ngadeu in the 87th minute. Despite the 3 minutes he spent on the pitch, he made a good impression.
World Cup 2022
Wooh was called back to the national team for the September international window. But his call-up comes at a time when Nicolas Nkoulou is called to make his return to the team, 5 years after his withdrawal. The 32-year-old was preferred to the young prodigy, who was limited to a simple substitute role in friendly matches against Uzbekistan (0-2) and South Korea (0-1). And when Cameroon arrives in Qatar for the World Cup in November, again. Christopher Wooh is a spectator.
The trigger
It was not until Nkoulou was injured after the second day of the group stage that the former Nancy player was given a start against Brazil on December 2. Without shaking, Wooh delivered a great match. Hard on the man and very vigilant in his area, he was very solid defensively and formed an impenetrable wall with Enzo Ebossé. Since then, he seems to have cemented his place in Rigobert Song's squad. There is a good chance he will start tonight against Namibia. The match which takes place at the Omnisports stadium of Yaoundé is part of the third day of the AFCON 2023 qualifiers.
