We of the Cameroon Concord News Group are happy to announce the winner of the 2022 Cameroon Concord News Person of the Year.   He is the captain of the Indomitable Lions, Vincent Aboubakar.

Aboubakar was chosen by thousands of our readers from among a list that included renowned Muslim scholar, Abdul Karim; Cameroon’s Territorial Administration Minister, Paul Atanga Nji and MRC Chairperson, Professor Maurice Kamto.   Cameroon Concord People elected the captain of the Indomitable Lions, Vincent Aboubakar as the Cameroon Concord News Person of the Year 2022.

Our readers in both English and French Cameroun held the candidates shortlisted for this year’s award to the highest standards of responsible leadership in a nation destroyed by hydra-headed conflicts. The majority of those who participated opined that Vincent Aboubakar deserves the award for his great achievements on the pitch and his behavior off the pitch.

Aboubakar was Cameroon’s key striker when the country won the Africa Cup of Nations in Gabon in 2017. In Stade de l’Amitie, in Libreville, Gabon on that fateful Sunday, February 5, 2017 when Captain Moukanjo summoned Nkoulou and not him after the finals to receive the trophy, even though he scored the winning goal, Aboubakar demonstrated great sportsmanship and till this day- never raised a finger! What happened in Gabon was a surprising win in the championship game for a team many had deemed second-rate heading into the important continent-wide football (soccer) tournament.

Cameroon Concord News and Cameroon Intelligence Report have critically examined Vincent Aboubakar’s performance deep within the Indomitable Lions ever since he became the key striker.  He was the highest goal-scorer during the Africa Cup of Nations which was hosted in Cameroon in 2021 after having engineered Cameroon’s comeback in the third place match against Burkina Faso. Cameroon was already staring down the barrel of defeat, but when Aboubakar was fielded, the tempo and face of the match changed. Cameroon equalized three goals and later defeated Burkina Faso in a penalty shootout.

Aboubakar has always been a key element in Cameroon’s football team. He pulled the Indomitable Lions from the brink during the World Cup qualifiers and helped the team to qualify for the Qatar World Cup, scoring nearly all the goals during the qualification campaign.

Unlike some former captains, Vincent Aboubakar received the national flag from the government representative en route to Qatar and even when he was dropped from the first 11 in the opening match against Switzerland, he kept his calm and worked for the team’s success.

At the World Cup in Qatar, he scored one of the best goals during the match against Serbia and scored the winning goal against Brazil, a victory which made the world to understand that Brazil was vincible. Aboubakar has had a great career and he is a good example for many young men in Africa always showing patriotism and professionalism.

Born on 22 January 1992 in Yaoundé to Edouard Aboubakar and Maobeal Alice Aboubakar, he still holds his Cameroonian passport and now plays as a striker for Saudi Professional League club Al Nassr. He began his career at Coton Sport of Garoua and moved to Europe in 2010, playing for Ligue 1 clubs Valenciennes and Lorient, totalling 109 appearances and 26 goals in France’s top division. In 2014, he signed for Porto, where he played 125 games and scored 58 goals, winning a Primeira Liga title. He won the Turkish Süper Lig while on loan at Beşiktaş in 2017, and again in 2021.

Vincent Aboubakar has earned over 90 caps for the Indomitable Lions since his international debut in May 2010. He was part of the Lions squad for the 2010, 2014 and 2022 FIFA World Cups, as well as the Africa Cup of Nations in 2015, 2017 and 2021.

His earnings are from contracts, salaries, bonuses, and endorsements. As of 2022, his estimated web value is round $6 million and his wage is €6 million. His market worth is round €9 million.

His handling of the poor outing against Egypt in Yaoundé during the 2021 Africa Cup of Nations semis and distancing the new generation of players from the poor performance was indeed satisfying to all Cameroonian football fans both at home and in the diaspora.

Cameroon Concord News Group congratulates Captain Vincent Aboubakar for the well-deserved honour accorded him by a majority of our readers. Cameroon Concord News Group remains grateful to all Cameroon Concord People who took part in the poll and wishes all our readers’ world -wide, a rewarding prosperous New Year.

By Soter Tarh Agbaw-Ebai

soteragbawebai@gmail.com

Chairman/Editor-in-Chief