The year 2022 was rich in sports events. From soccer to handball, through basketball, Mixed Martial Arts and volleyball, some Cameroonians have shone on the international and continental scenes. Here are the 3 who have most marked their respective disciplines.
Vincent Aboubakar (soccer)
He is the Cameroonian sportsman of this year 2022. Indeed, it's hard to name a name before Vincent Aboubakar. The 30-year-old striker has entered the legend of footballers who have marked the history of the country of Roger Milla. To summarize his year, the statistics speak for themselves. The native of Garoua first illuminated the African Cup of Nations played in January - February in his country.
The Al-Nassr player finished top scorer of the tournament with eight goals. Vincent Aboubakar became the best scorer in the history of Cameroon on an edition of the competition. The former Besiktas player surpassed Samuel Eto'o (5 goals). In Africa, only one man has managed to do better: Pierre Ndaye Mulamba, author of nine goals for Zaire in 1974.
Vincent Aboubakar also had a brilliant World Cup in Qatar. The Indomitable Lions' captain scored an extraterrestrial goal against Serbia (3-3) on the second day of the tournament and then beat Brazil. The only scorer of this game, he allowed Cameroon to become the first African nation to beat the five-time world champions in 21 participations in a World Cup.
Joel Embiid (basketball)
He had a painful start of the year but it takes more to stop Joel Embiid. Despite the difficulties, the pivot of the 76ers has exploded the ceilings. The one nicknamed "The Process" is again a serious candidate for the NBA MVP title. Elected for the second time in less than a month, player of the week on December 12, the giant of 2m13 connects the masterclass.
The man with 5 consecutive All-Star Game selections (2018, 2019, 2020, 2021 and 2022) delivered his reference game on November 14. In a victory against the Utah Jazz (105 - 98), he scored 59 points, took 11 rebounds, made 8 assists and 7 counters. Statistics that make the native of Douala, the first player in history to compile more than 50 points, 10 rebounds, 5 assists and 5 counters in a single game. Second best player in the NBA for the second consecutive time, he was last April the first African basketball player to finish top scorer in the American League in the regular season.
The Cameroonian turned French has also doubly marked the basketball planet by obtaining in turn the French nationality in July, and American in September 2022. The 28-year-old basketball player will have to choose one of these nations for the major international competitions.
Francis Ngannou (MMA)
In just a few years, Francis Ngannou has made his way into the pantheon of Mixed Martial Arts (MMA) to the point of snatching the UFC heavyweight world champion belt in March 2021. The third fighter of African descent to be crowned UFC champion after Nigerians Kamaru Usman and Israel Adesanya, who won the welterweight and middleweight titles respectively in 2019, Ngannou shined a year later by retaining his belt on January 22, 2022.
The man from Batié, a town in western Cameroon, defeated Frenchman Ciryl Gane by unanimous decision in a fight held in Anaheim, California. After five rounds, the former homeless man from Paris won, adding a 17th victory to his record (3 losses) and inflicting his opponent's first defeat in 11 fights. However, it must be admitted that the "Predator" had injured his knee a month before this ultimate fight.
But the Lion of MMA overcame the pain in view of the stakes. The Cameroonian was operated in March and since then, he has never fought again. But the recovery seems to be going very well, as he announced on his social networks. His return to the octagon would only be a matter of time. "It's so good to be back in the training room," he announced in early December on Instagram.
