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Al-Ahram Weekly 3 - 9 February 2000 Issue No. 467 
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Published in Cairo by AL-AHRAM established in 1875 |
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Al-Ahram Weekly 3 - 9 February 2000 Issue No. 467
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| Published in Cairo by AL-AHRAM established in 1875 |
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Egypt Region International Economy Opinion Culture Features Special Profile Travel Living Sports People Time Out Chronicles Cartoons Letters Milla of the century
By Dalia El-Hennawy
Roger Milla, who led Cameroon to the quarter-finals of the 1990 World Cup, has been chosen Africa's player of the century.
The selection, made by the Confederation Africaine de Football (CAF) and the London-based magazine African Soccer, cited Milla's outstanding performance in the cup as Cameroon became the first African country to reach the last eight. Only England, after a pulsating 4-2 win, kept Cameroon, by then dubbed the "Indomitable Lions", from progressing even further. Cameroon's overall performance in Italy not only put the west African nation on the world soccer map but also helped persuade FIFA to increase the number of African countries in the World Cup from three to five. "It took 12 years [for Africa] to win even a second berth and we had to really fight for that," Milla said shortly after winning the award, which he garnered after polls were taken from among more than 50 of Africa's top sports writers, coaches, instructors and referees. "When Cameroon got to the quarter-finals, FIFA at last realised that Africa had made real progress," Milla added.
In 1982, the World Cup debut for both Cameroon and Milla, Cameroon strung together three consecutive draws, including one with the eventual champions Italy, before bowing out. The country missed the 1986 World Cup but came storming back in 1990, when the unfancied squad registered one of the biggest upsets in soccer history, humbling the then defending champions, Argentina, in the opening game 1-0. Cameroon's World Cup performance in 1994 ended in abysmal fashion as they were ousted in the first round, the dreary performance attributed to financial straits the team was mired in at the time. Only the record set by Milla who, at 37, became the oldest man to score a goal in the cup, prevented complete humiliation. However, judging from its 1-1 performance against Ghana in the inaugural match of this year's African Nations Cup, and its subsequent 3-0 thrashing of Cote d'Ivoire, Cameroon must be fancied as one of the favourites.
While Milla will be most remembered for his national team heroics, on the club level, playing for Leopards and Tonnerre Yaounde, Milla's squads won both the African Champions' Cup and the Cup Winners' Cup.
Milla, who might receive the order of merit on the sidelines of the African Nations Cup, said the two African performances in particular that stand out this century were Cameroon in the 1990 World Cup and Nigeria winning the gold medal in the 1996 Atlanta Olympics. He says players like Njoleà of Cameroon, Lavrent Pokov of Côte d'Ivoire, Jomo Sono from South Africa were some of his idols.
Milla
Milla, who was presented the CAF award at a ceremony in Accra last month, lives quietly in the south of France, works in a youth training camp with his former club Montpellier and makes occasional appearances around the world. Many in Cameroon believe he never received his fair due from a country which he showered with glory and fame due to his football prowess. His selection as the best player the continent has ever produced should change things. "What we African players did was for the continent as a whole, not for ourselves or even for our countries," Milla said. "We wanted Africa to be respected around the world. We succeeded because everyone knows now the value not just of Cameroon but of Algeria, Tunisia, Morocco and Nigeria, among others."
Joining the CAF in feting Milla is Puma, the sports equipment manufacturer, which was the official co-sponsor of the "Player of the Century Award". The company has also agreed to a Cup of Nations cooperation venture with African Soccer. The agreement incorporates editorial web links between puma.com and the magazine's site at www.sportscheduler.sz including news updates, competitions and an exclusive Cup of Nations diary. In addition, Puma is endorsing Egypt, Morocco and Cameroon in their African cup bid.
