Joseph Akongo

Joseph Akongo
Personnel
Surname	Joseph Akongo
birthday	November 27, 1977
place of birth	Yaoundé ,  Cameroon
position	Storm
Men's
Years	station	Games (goals) 1
2002	Club Atlético Peñarol	11 (2)
1 Only league games are given. As of June 17, 2016

Joseph Akongo (born November 27, 1977 in Yaoundé ) is a former Cameroonian football player . In 2002 he was under contract for a short time at the Uruguayan top club Club Atlético Peñarol .

Athletic career

Akongo's commitment is largely due to the personal commitment of the club president at the time, José Pedro Damiani . This had set itself the goal of attracting more African talent to Peñarol. How and where exactly the contact with Akongo came about is still unclear. Allegedly he lived in the north-eastern French city ​​of Metz . It is also uncertain whether he has ever played football in a club before. In an interview with Radio Carve in Montevideo , he later stated that he knew a little about Uruguayan football through Enzo Francescoli - whom he had met during his time in Marseille .

Akongo made his first appearance in early 2002 - during the summer break of the Uruguayan League - in a friendly against a regional selection in Maldonado , when he contributed three goals to Peñarol's 5-1 win and aroused the hopes of the fans. He has been recognized as a powerful striker with a good eye for scoring opportunities. Damiani even praised him as "the new Spencer ". The Cameroonian received one of the highest salaries in the squad and quickly became a popular figure among supporters. After the championship season started in early February, it became the rule for the main stand to loudly demand his substitution during the games at the beginning of the second half. Akongo played in eleven league games, with a total of two goals on March 16 against River Plate and on May 4 against Juventud from Las Piedras . He also played three games for Peñarol in the Copa Libertadores - the most important South American club soccer competition. On March 12, Akongo scored the goal in the group game against the Ecuadorian club CD El Nacional in a 3-0 home win. This made him the first African Copa goalscorer for the Aurinegros to enter the club's history.

Despite this sense of achievement, however, it quickly became apparent that Akongo could not meet the expectations placed on him in any way. Sports journalists highlighted his remarkable lack of athleticism and technical understanding. In addition, he is said to have been more reminiscent of a boxer than a footballer in terms of his stature. At the beginning of the second half of the season, coach Gregorio Pérez sorted him out of the squad in early October and assigned him to the reserve team (Formativas) in the Tercera División. Akongo's contract was terminated a little later due to disagreements over his future at Peñarol.

The further whereabouts of the Cameroonian is unclear. Allegedly he then played in China and for an amateur university team in southern Peru .

Web links

• Joseph Akongo in the database of weltfussball.de

Individual evidence

1. ↑ Akongo, el conquistador en una tierra desconocida . galeon.com/supermanya; Retrieved June 18, 2016.
2. ↑ Silvia Pérez: Llega otro punta extranjero . ovaciondigital.com.uy, February 3, 2016; Retrieved June 18, 2016.
3. ↑ Detailed data on the Uruguayan football championship 2002. Rec.Sport.Soccer Statistics Foundation ; Retrieved June 18, 2016.
4. ↑ ^{a b} Rosdom Belian: Pasaporte al Uruguay: Joseph Akongo . taringa.net; Retrieved June 18, 2016.
5. ↑ Detailed data on the participation of the CA Peñarol in the Copa Libertadores between 2000 and 2009. Rec.Sport.Soccer Statistics Foundation ; Retrieved June 18, 2016.