Besiktas, the place where Vincent Aboubakar keeps finding new life
Vincent Aboubakar is thriving at Besiktas, a club where he has always shone, now in his third spell with the Black Eagles
Sport News Africa · Author profile ·
Listen to this story
Audio version in preparation · read aloud by your browser meanwhile
They say cats have seven lives, and Vincent Aboubakar seems to have at least as many, if not more, with several of them spent at Besiktas. The latest chapter was his return in the winter transfer window, after he was "shown the door" by Al Nassr to make room for Cristiano Ronaldo. Since arriving on 21 January, the Indomitable Lion has been simply unstoppable. In 15 league games, 14 of them starts, he has scored 13 goals and provided 2 assists. His latest strike came on Saturday 03 June in the 5-2 win over Kasimpasa on matchday 37 of the Süper Lig. He sits 8th in the Turkish league's scoring charts.
Besiktas finish 3rd in the league, behind 2nd-placed Fenerbahce, and will play in the Champions League play-offs, while Galatasaray have already won the title. And Vincent Aboubakar believes he could have taken his club much higher. "If Şenol Güneş (editor's note: the coach) and I had started the season, we would have been champions. The points we have won since we came together show the real table", he told the Turkish press, modestly. When he signed, the Black Eagles were fourth on 36 points, outside the qualification places for the Champions League (C1). Since the Cameroonian's arrival, they have taken 41 points from 17 games.
Vincent Aboubakar'ın golü. 🦅pic.twitter.com/nbZ3oTy9Ns
— L'et Des Sports (@LetDesSports) June 3, 2023
A story that is not over yet
The love story between Vincent Aboubakar and Besiktas is not in its first chapter. The romance began in 2016-2017, when the Cameroonian arrived on loan from FC Porto, where he had come off a disappointing season (8 games, 3 goals in all competitions). Aboubakar then took the league by storm, scoring 19 goals and providing 4 assists in 38 games. Then, in 2020-2021, the 31-year-old pulled on the black and white shirt again, scoring 16 goals and setting up 5 in 29 games. At the end of that season, the Cameroon international left for Qatar and Al Nassr.
Now Besiktas and their supporters will be hoping that Vincent Aboubakar finally strings together a second consecutive season at the club. Given his performances and his comments, the club could well win the Turkish title again. Besiktas's last two league titles came in 2021 and 2016, and, no coincidence, Vincent Aboubakar was leading the line both times.
Read also: Onana, Song, Eto’o, World Cup 2022: Vincent Aboubakar tells all