Jean Makoun

Jean II Makoun (French pronunciation: ​[ʒɑ̃ dø mɑkun]) (born 29 May 1983) is a Cameroonian footballer who plays as a central midfielder for Turkish side Antalyaspor. He played for the Cameroon national football team from 2003-2015.

Career

Early career

Makoun began his career in his native Cameroon at Cotonsport Garoua, where he was part of the team's youth setup. Following this, he spent time at other Cameroonian clubs Jeunesse Star and Tonnerre Yaoundé, before moving to France, to join Ligue 1 club Lille.

Makoun became a firm fixture in the Lille side, making more than 150 appearances for the team in the league, and playing UEFA Champions League football. His performances attracted interest from clubs around Europe, including Premier League clubs Arsenal and Tottenham Hotspur, as well as Serie A club Juventus, and French clubs AS Monaco, Marseille, and Lyon.

Lyon

On 16 June 2008, Makoun signed with seven-time French champions Olympique Lyonnais on a four-year contract. The fee was worth €14 million with Lille set to receive another €1 million based on incentives. During his time with Lyon, Makoun wore the number 17 shirt, which was retired in 2003 after the death of Cameroonian midfielder Marc-Vivien Foé. Makoun, also from Cameroon and a native of Yaoundé, stated on wearing the number: "In memory of Marc, for me and for the whole Cameroon, this will be for something." On the opening game of the season, he scored his first goal on his debut in a 3-0 win over Toulouse. In two consecutive games, he scored three in two games, in a brace against Nice and one against Le Havre, and which he made a double assist. Meanwhile, in the Champions League campaign, Makoun scored two goals in eight different games against Fiorentina in the Group-Stage Matchday, which Lyon win 2-1 and Barcelona in the last-sixteen second leg, which Lyon lost 5-2. In his first season at Lyon, Makoun established himself in the first team in the midfield position.