Carlos Kameni

Idriss Carlos Kameni (born 18 February 1984) is a Cameroonian professional footballer who plays as a goalkeeper.

Carlos Kameni
Kameni playing for Cameroon in 2009
Personal information
Full name Idriss Carlos Kameni
Date of birth (1984-02-18) 18 February 1984[1]
Place of birth Douala, Cameroon
Height 1.84 m (6 ft 0 in)[1]
Position(s) Goalkeeper
Youth career
1995–2000 Kadji Sports
Senior career*
Years Team Apps (Gls)
2000–2004 Le Havre 2 (0)
2002–2003 → Saint-Étienne (loan) 0 (0)
2004–2012 Espanyol 222 (0)
2012–2017 Málaga 113 (0)
2017–2019 Fenerbahçe 9 (0)
National team‡
1999 Cameroon U20 3 (0)
2000 Cameroon U23 3 (0)
2001– Cameroon 73 (0)
* Senior club appearances and goals counted for the domestic league only and correct as of 16:16, 26 April 2020 (UTC)
‡ National team caps and goals correct as of 9 June 2019

He spent the vast majority of his career in Spain, mainly with Espanyol for whom he appeared in 229 official games over eight La Liga seasons. He also competed professionally in France and Turkey.

A Cameroonian international before he was 20, Kameni represented the country in two World Cups and six Africa Cup of Nations tournaments.

Club career

France

Born in Douala, Kameni was first spotted when, aged 16, he became the youngest footballer to win an Olympic gold medal, in 2000.[2] This earned him a transfer to French club Le Havre AC but he was unable to break into the first team, and remained a reserve for the duration of his spell, also being loaned to AS Saint-Étienne and also failing to gain any playing time there. In 2001 he was linked with a move to Juventus FC,[3] but nothing came of it.

Kameni almost joined Premier League's Wolverhampton Wanderers on a season-long loan for the 2003–04 season, but the deal collapsed after he was not granted a United Kingdom work permit.[4]

Espanyol

20-year-old Kameni signed with Spanish side RCD Espanyol in July 2004 for US$600,000,[5] and became first choice in his second year, winning the Copa del Rey as backup to Gorka Iraizoz, who started in La Liga. In the 2006–07 campaign, the opposite: Kameni was the starter, and Iraizoz was picked for the Catalans' UEFA Cup runner-up run.[6] Early in 2006, the club suspended two fans for racist abuse towards the player.[7]

In 2008–09, a tense season for Espanyol, which ranked in the bottom three for a lengthy period, Kameni had two incidents: first, he had a near-physical confrontation with a fan (who first insulted the player) after a training session in January,[8] then fought with teammate Grégory Béranger again in training, in May.[9] He still featured in 37 out of 38 league games, being essential to his team's survival, and also broke his compatriot Thomas N'Kono's record of minutes without conceding a goal, setting it at 498.[10]

Málaga

After two more seasons as starter, Kameni was demoted to third choice for 2011–12, with Argentine Mauricio Pochettino still as Espanyol's manager.[11] On 13 January 2012 he moved to Málaga CF,[12] making his league debut on 25 March after replacing injured Willy Caballero during the first half of a 2–1 away win against his former team, and keeping a clean sheet during his time on the pitch.[13]

Kameni became the starter after Caballero left for Manchester City. On 26 September 2015, in a game where Real Madrid registered 31 shots, he put on a Player of the match performance in a 0–0 draw at the Santiago Bernabéu Stadium.[14] The following matchday, he became the first club goalkeeper to provide an assist in the Spanish top flight, as Charles scored the second of his three goals in a 3–1 home victory over Real Sociedad.[15]

On 2 March 2016, Kameni scored a bizarre own goal in a 1–2 home loss to Valencia CF.[16] Three days later, at Deportivo de La Coruña, he had to be replaced shortly before half-time due to injury, as the match went on to end 3–3.[17]

On 19 November 2016, Kameni denied hosts FC Barcelona on several occasions, in a 0–0 draw.[18]

Fenerbahçe

In July 2017, Kameni signed a three-year deal with Turkish club Fenerbahçe SK.[19] He made his Süper Lig debut on 17 September, being booked late into a 4–1 away defeat of Alanyaspor.[20]

Kameni left by mutual consent on 28 August 2019.[21][22]

International career

A Cameroonian international since the age of 17, Kameni was part of the national team squads at the 2002, 2004, 2006 and 2008 Africa Cup of Nations, starting in all but the first. He was the first-choice goalkeeper as his country finished as runners-up at the 2003 FIFA Confederations Cup.

In 2002, aged 18, Kameni was picked for Cameroon's squad of 23 at the 2002 FIFA World Cup. He was named Best African Goalkeeper for 2006–07,[23] after being runner-up in the previous season.

Kameni was also chosen for the 2010 World Cup in South Africa, and was expected to start by many observers. However, he ended up on the bench as coach Paul Le Guen preferred Souleymanou Hamidou over him, and the national side was the first team to be eliminated from the tournament after losing all three group matches.[24][25]

On 27 October 2015, more than two years after being left out of consideration for selection for "trying to orchestrate disorder", Kameni was called by new manager Volker Finke for a game against Niger for the 2018 World Cup qualifiers.[26][27]

Personal life

Kameni's older brother, Mathurin, was also a footballer and a goalkeeper.[28]

Honours

Espanyol

Cameroon U23

Cameroon

Individual

References
  1. "Carlos Kameni". Eurosport. Retrieved 13 October 2019.
  2. "Idriss Kameni". BBC Sport. 20 May 2002. Retrieved 3 May 2007.
  3. "Juventus want Cameroon keeper". BBC Sport. 1 November 2001. Retrieved 20 June 2013.
  4. "Wolves wait on Kameni verdict". BBC Sport. 21 August 2003. Retrieved 28 February 2008.
  5. Minshull, Phil (28 July 2004). "Espanyol sign Kameni". BBC Sport. Retrieved 28 February 2008.
  6. Hunter, Graham (15 May 2007). "Gorka keen to remain Mr UEFA Cup". UEFA. Retrieved 7 February 2021.
  7. "Espanyol suspend fans over racism". BBC Sport. 11 February 2006. Retrieved 5 December 2010.
  8. "Kameni se encara con un aficionado después del entrenamiento" [Kameni confronts fan after training]. Marca (in Spanish). 5 January 2009. Retrieved 3 June 2009.
  9. Gómez, José Agustín (16 May 2009). "Incidente entre Béranger y Kameni" [Incident between Béranger and Kameni] (in Spanish). El Espanyol. Archived from the original on 18 May 2009. Retrieved 3 June 2009.
  10. "Kameni supera el récord N'Kono" [Kameni breaks N'Kono record]. Marca (in Spanish). 4 May 2009. Retrieved 7 February 2021.
  11. Román, Rogelio (11 January 2012). "Kameni: De titular a ni ser suplente" [Kameni: From starter to not even a backup]. Mundo Deportivo (in Spanish). Retrieved 2 July 2018.
  12. Mira, Luís (13 January 2012). "Official: Malaga signs Espanyol's Carlos Kameni on a free transfer". Goal. Retrieved 22 January 2012.
  13. "Kameni: "No me imaginaba un debut así ni en sueños"" [Kameni: "Not even in my wildest dreams did i imagine such a debut"]. Marca (in Spanish). 27 March 2012. Retrieved 27 March 2012.
  14. "Cameroon keeper Carlos Kameni blanks out Ronaldo". Kick Off. 27 September 2015. Retrieved 4 November 2015.
  15. Lavon, Steven (5 October 2015). "Carlos Kameni: dans l'histoire de la Liga" [Carlos Kameni: in La Liga's history] (in French). Africa Top Sports. Retrieved 4 November 2015.
  16. "Malaga goalkeeper Carlos Kameni scores bizarre own-goal against Valencia". Sky Sports. 3 March 2016. Retrieved 5 March 2016.
  17. "Ochoa es el primer portero mexicano que debuta en la Liga" [Ochoa is first Mexican goalkeeper to debut in League]. Marca (in Spanish). 5 March 2016. Retrieved 5 March 2016.
  18. Egea, Pablo (19 November 2016). "Messi estornuda y el Barça se resfría" [Messi sneezes and Barça catch a cold]. Marca (in Spanish). Retrieved 19 November 2016.
  19. Dove, Ed (6 July 2017). "Fenerbahce sign Cameroon's Carlos Kameni". ESPN FC. Retrieved 17 August 2017.
  20. "Fenerbahçe Alanya'da farklı kazandı! 1–4 İşte maçın özeti" [Emphatic Fenerbahçe win in Alanya! 1–4 match summary]. Milliyet (in Turkish). 17 September 2017. Retrieved 12 June 2018.
  21. Okeleji, Oluwashina (28 August 2019). "Carlos Kameni: Veteran Cameroon goalkeeper leaves Fenerbahce". BBC Sport. Retrieved 12 September 2019.
  22. "SON DAKİKA! Kameni, Fenerbahçe'den Ayrıldı" [LAST MINUTE! Kameni, out of Fenerbahce]. Habertürk (in Turkish). 28 August 2019. Retrieved 12 September 2019.
  23. Mbunwe, Innocent (7 January 2008). "Who is Who in the Lions Den". The Post Online. Retrieved 28 February 2008.
  24. Chemisseur, Xavier (14 June 2010). "Le Cameroun rate son entrée dans la compétition face au Japon" [False start for Cameroon in competition against Japan] (in French). France 24. Retrieved 7 February 2021.
  25. "Mondial 2010. Battu par le Danemark, le Cameroun déjà éliminé" [2010 World Cup. Beaten by Denmark, Cameroon already eliminated]. Ouest-France (in French). 20 June 2010. Retrieved 7 February 2021.
  26. Ndjio, Lindovi (3 November 2015). "Lions indomptables: Idris Carlos Kameni rappelé en pompier" [Indomitable lions: Idris Carlos Kameni called to put out the fire]. La Nouvelle Expression (in French). Archived from the original on 18 November 2015. Retrieved 4 November 2015.
  27. "Mondial 2018: Kameni de retour avec le Cameroun" [2018 World Cup: Kameni returns for Cameroon] (in French). Press Afrik. 3 November 2015. Retrieved 4 November 2015.
  28. Kala, Thato (27 January 2010). "Time up for Marumo in Egypt". Mmegi. Retrieved 7 February 2021.
  29. Astruells, Andrés (13 April 2006). "¡Increíble Espanyol!" [Incredible Espanyol!]. Mundo Deportivo (in Spanish). Retrieved 15 January 2015.
  30. Atkin, John (17 May 2007). "Palop lauds perfect performance". UEFA. Retrieved 15 January 2015.
  31. "Sidney 2000: Oro negro" [Sidney 2000: Black gold] (in Spanish). Recuerdos de Nigeria. 26 May 2009. Retrieved 15 January 2015.
  32. Duret, Sébastien. "African Nations Cup 2002 – Final Tournament Details". RSSSF. Retrieved 15 January 2015.
  33. "FIFA Confederations Cup France 2003 (archived)". FIFA. Archived from the original on 12 August 2003. Retrieved 11 April 2015.
  34. "Liga: Idris Carlos Kameni, meilleur joueur de Malaga 2014–2015" [Liga: Idris Carlos Kameni, best Málaga player 2014–2015] (in French). News du Camer. 9 October 2015. Archived from the original on 5 March 2016. Retrieved 4 November 2015.
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