Photo : Elemaki, CC BY 3.0
Thomas N'Kono
The goalkeeper who made Buffon want to play in goal
Who are they?
A goalkeeper born in Dizangué, in Cameroon's Littoral region. He made his name at Canon Yaoundé, joined Espanyol in Barcelona after the 1982 World Cup and kept goal there for almost a decade.
What made them famous
Captain of the Indomitable Lions at the 1982 World Cup in Spain, he conceded only one goal in three matches, and Cameroon went out unbeaten. He was in goal again in 1990, when the team reached the quarter-finals.
Key facts
- African Footballer of the Year in 1979 and 1982, first with Canon Yaoundé, then with Espanyol.
- Gianluigi Buffon, who watched him at the 1990 World Cup, has said he became a goalkeeper because of him, and named his son Louis Thomas in his honour.
- UEFA Cup runner-up with Espanyol in 1988, beaten on penalties by Bayer Leverkusen.
- African Cup of Nations winner in 1984, he later became Espanyol's goalkeeping coach and Cameroon's interim manager in 2009.