This biographical article needs additional citations for verification. Please help by adding reliable sources. Contentious material about living persons that is unsourced or poorly sourced must be removed immediately, especially if potentially libelous or harmful. (June 2010)

Pangop

Personal information
Full name	Albert Roger Mooh Milla
Date of birth	(1952-05-20) 20 May 1952 (age 60)
Place of birth	Yaoundé, Cameroon
Height	6 ft 1 in (1.85 m)
Playing position	Striker
Senior career*
Years	Team	Apps†	(Gls)†
1965–1970	Eclair	57	(6)
1971–1974	Léopard	117	(89)
1974–1977	Tonnerre	87	(69)
1977–1979	Valenciennes	28	(6)
1979–1980	Monaco	17	(2)
1980–1984	Bastia	113	(35)
1984–1986	Saint-Étienne	59	(31)
1986–1989	Montpellier	95	(37)
1989–1990	Saint-Pierroise
1990–1994	Tonnerre	116	(89)
1994–1995	Pelita Jaya	23	(23)
1995–1996	Putra Samarinda	??	(18)
1997	→ New York Cosmos (loan)	??	(?)
1996-1999	Tonnerre	??	(?)
Total		712	(405)
National team
1973–1994	Cameroon	102	(28)
Teams managed
2001–2007	Montpellier (Coach Staff)
2007–2011	Tonnerre
2011-	Tonnerre (Director of football)
* Senior club appearances and goals counted for the domestic league only. † Appearances (Goals).

Roger Milla (born Albert Roger Mooh Miller, 20 May 1952) is a retired Cameroonian footballer who played as a striker. He was one of the first African players to be a major star on the international stage. He played in three World Cups for the Cameroon national team.

He achieved international stardom at 38 years old, an age at which most forward-playing footballers have retired, by scoring four goals at the 1990 World Cup, the most memorable of which came in the match against Colombia when he dispossessed the showboating Colombian goalkeeper René Higuita 35 yards from goal, going on to score in the empty net with Higuita stranded. He helped the Cameroon team reach the quarter-finals.

He is also remembered for his trademark goal celebration of running to the corner flag and performing a dance. In the years that have followed, he has been recognised as a pioneer of the many unconventional and imaginative goal celebrations seen since then. He was named one of the 125 greatest living football players in 2004 by the legendary Brazilian football player Pelé.

Club career[link]

Born in the Cameroonian capital of Yaoundé, he moved constantly as a child because of his father's railroad job. He signed for his first club in Douala as a 13-year-old. At 18, he won his first league championship with another Douala club.

In 1974, by which time he had moved to Tonnerre Yaoundé and was awarded the African Footballer of the Year award.

In 1977, he was lured to Europe by the French club Valenciennes. However, he was kept on the reserves for two years. In 1979, he joined AS Monaco, but shuttled between the reserves' bench and the injury list. The next year, he joined Bastia, but still did not flourish. He finally found stardom at Saint-Etienne in 1984; he then starred for Montpellier from 1986 to 1989, and became a member of the club's coaching staff after retiring from French football.

National team[link]

While playing in France, he made his first appearance for the Cameroon national team (in 1978). He was a member of Cameroon's team at the 1982 FIFA World Cup, having a goal disallowed against Peru in their first match. Cameroon went out with three draws from their three first-round games. Two years later, he was part of the squad competing at the 1984 Summer Olympics in Los Angeles, California. He first retired from international football in 1987, and eventually moved to Réunion in the Indian Ocean for his retirement.

However, in 1990, he received a phone call from the President of Cameroon Paul Biya, who pleaded with him to come out of retirement and rejoin the national team. He agreed, and went to Italy with the Indomitable Lions for the 1990 World Cup.

1990 World Cup[link]

38-year old Milla emerged as one of the tournament's major stars. He scored four goals in Italy, celebrating each one with a dance around the corner post that has become a popular goal celebration ever since. Two of his goals came against Romania in Cameroon's second game, and two more came in extra time against Colombia in the last 16 to carry Cameroon to the quarter-finals, the furthest an African team had ever advanced at the World Cup (Senegal matched this feat in 2002, and Ghana matched it in 2010). In the quarter-final match against England, Milla confirmed his super-sub legend by entering in the second half with Cameroon trailing 1–0 and drawing a penalty and then setting up a goal for Ekeke to give Cameroon the lead before eventually losing 3–2.

His second goal celebration against Colombia has been the subject of the 2010 World Cup Coca Cola advertisement.^[1]

1994 World Cup[link]

Milla returned to the 1994 FIFA World Cup at the age of 42, being the oldest player ever to appear in a World Cup. Cameroon were knocked out in the group stages; however, Milla scored a goal against Russia, setting a record as the oldest goalscorer in a World Cup tournament; a record he set in the previous World Cup edition.

Post-playing career[link]

He is now an itinerant ambassador for African causes. In 2004, he was named to the FIFA 100, a list of the 125 greatest living footballers selected by Pelé in conjunction with FIFA's centenary celebrations.

Milla starred in a Coca Cola advertisement for 2010 FIFA World Cup as the originator of dancing whilst celebrating when scoring a goal. He is seen in the crowd drinking Coca cola.

Career statistics[link]

Honours[link]

In 2006, Milla was chosen for best African player of the last century, ending up ahead of El Khatib and Hassan. The election was held by the CAF, the African football association.

References[link]

External links[link]

• (German) Weltfußball
• Worldwide soccer information
• Best African Player in The Past Fifty Years

Cameroon squads v t e Cameroon squad – 1982 FIFA World Cup 1 N'Kono 2 Kaham 3 Enoka 4 N'Djeya 5 Onana 6 Kundé 7 M'Bom 8 M'Bida 9 Milla 10 Tokoto 11 Toubé 12 Bell 13 Bahoken 14 Abega 15 N'Doumbé 16 Aoudou 17 Kamga 18 N'Guea 19 Enanga 20 Eyobo 21 Ebongué 22 Tchobang Coach: Vincent v t e Cameroon squad – 1990 FIFA World Cup 1 Bell 2 Kana‑Biyik 3 Onana 4 Massing 5 Ebwellé 6 Kundé 7 Omam‑Biyik 8 M'Bouh 9 Milla 10 M'Fédé 11 Ekéké 12 Yombi 13 Pagal 14 Tataw (c) 15 Libiih 16 N'Kono 17 N'Dip 18 Djonkep 19 Feutmba 20 Makanaky 21 Maboang 22 Songo'o Coach: Nepomniachi v t e Cameroon squad – 1994 FIFA World Cup 1 Bell 2 Kana-Biyik 3 Song 4 Ekeme 5 N'Dip 6 Libiih 7 Omam&-Biyik 8 M'Bouh 9 Milla 10 M'Fédé 11 Maboang 12 Loga 13 Kalla 14 Tataw 15 Agbo 16 Tchami 17 Foé 18 Fiala 19 Embé 20 Mouyémé 21 N'Kono 22 Songo'o Coach: Michel

Joseph-Antoine Bell, sometimes referred to as JoJo Bell (born 8 October 1954) is a former Cameroonian international football goalkeeper, one of the best African goalkeepers of all time. In a 20-year career, he played in his native Cameroon as well as in the Ivory Coast and Egypt before moving to France, where he played for several top-level clubs including Marseille, Bordeaux and eventually ending his playing career with Saint-Étienne. He represented the national team in three World Cups (1982, 1990, 1994), the 1984 Summer Olympics and several African Cup of Nations.

Career[link]

Club career[link]

Bell was born in Mouandé. He started his career in Union Douala in Cameroon, where he spent the years 1975 to 1981. He then moved to Africa Sports in the Ivory Coast, staying there for two seasons. From 1983 to 1985 he played for Al-Mokawloon al-Arab in Egypt.^[1]

By the time he we went to France to play, he was already 31 years old. He played from Olympique de Marseille from 1985 to 1988, playing 36, 38, and 35 league matches in each of his three seasons there. He then spent one season at Sporting Toulon Var, playing 31 matches. Two years at FC Girondins de Bordeaux followed, where he played 38 matches in 1989–90 and 37 matches in 1990–91. He ended his playing career with AS Saint-Étienne, where he played 35 matches in 1991–92 and 38 matches in 1992–93, but only 26 matches in 1993–94.^[1]

Bell, in joining the campaign United Against Malaria in 2009, stated that "malaria ... affected his playing".^[2]

International career[link]

For the national team, he was in the squads at the 1982 and 1990 FIFA World Cup but did not play any matches. He was also selected for the squad for the 1994 FIFA World Cup where he eventually made his debut, playing in two of Cameroon's group matches.^[3] After Cameroon's elimination in 1994, enraged fans set fire on Bell's house in Douala.^[4] Bell also played at the 1984 Summer Olympics, and was on Cameroon's winning team in the 1984 and 1988 African Cup of Nations.^[5] At international level, though, he was second-choice goalkeeper after Thomas Nkono for many years.^{[citation needed]}

Honours[link]

He was named "African Goalkeeper of the Century" by IFFHS, as part of their "Century Elections". Cameroon had three goalkeepers among the top six, with Thomas N'Kono being second and Jacques Songo'o being sixth. Sadok Attouga was third, Badou Ezzaki was fourth and Mwemba Kazadi was fifth.^[6]

References[link]

v t e Cameroon squad – 1982 FIFA World Cup 1 N'Kono 2 Kaham 3 Enoka 4 N'Djeya 5 Onana 6 Kundé 7 M'Bom 8 M'Bida 9 Milla 10 Tokoto 11 Toubé 12 Bell 13 Bahoken 14 Abega 15 N'Doumbé 16 Aoudou 17 Kamga 18 N'Guea 19 Enanga 20 Eyobo 21 Ebongué 22 Tchobang Coach: Vincent

v t e Cameroon squad – 1990 FIFA World Cup 1 Bell 2 Kana‑Biyik 3 Onana 4 Massing 5 Ebwellé 6 Kundé 7 Omam‑Biyik 8 M'Bouh 9 Milla 10 M'Fédé 11 Ekéké 12 Yombi 13 Pagal 14 Tataw (c) 15 Libiih 16 N'Kono 17 N'Dip 18 Djonkep 19 Feutmba 20 Makanaky 21 Maboang 22 Songo'o Coach: Nepomniachi

v t e Cameroon squad – 1992 Africa Cup of Nations Fourth Place GK Andem GK Bell GK Songo'o DF Agbo DF Ebwellé DF Kundé DF Massing DF N'Dip DF Onana DF Tataw MF Ewane MF Feutmba MF Kana-Biyik MF M'Bouh MF Mfede MF Pagal MF Tapoko FW Ebongué FW Ekéké FW Kessack FW Makanaky FW Omam-Biyik Coach: Redon

v t e Cameroon squad – 1994 FIFA World Cup 1 Bell 2 Kana-Biyik 3 Song 4 Ekeme 5 N'Dip 6 Libiih 7 Omam&-Biyik 8 M'Bouh 9 Milla 10 M'Fédé 11 Maboang 12 Loga 13 Kalla 14 Tataw 15 Agbo 16 Tchami 17 Foé 18 Fiala 19 Embé 20 Mouyémé 21 N'Kono 22 Songo'o Coach: Michel