AFCON 2019: Michael Ngadeu-Ngadjui – Cameroon’s captain

Michael Ngadeu-Ngadjui will be leading the Cameroon senior national team, the Indomitable Lions to this year’s continental showpiece after being named captain for the five-time African champions by new coach Clarence Seedorf in September, last year.

Making his international debut for the indomitable lions in the 2017 African Cup qualifier against Gambia, Ngadeu-Ngadjui continued to be a big part player for the Lions, as he played every single minute of the 2017 edition and helped them to win the ultimate.

Born 23rd November 1990, Ngadeu-Ngadjui plies his trade with Czech Republic side Slavia Prague, as he helped them win the 2017/2018 Czech Cup and played a critical role for the team in the 2018/2019 Europa league campaign, that saw them reach the quarter finals and won their first ever domestic double domestically since 1942.

With a last-minute transfer deal to English club Fulham in January 2019 around the figure of €4.5m falling through for him despite passing a medical in London, Ngadeu-Ngadjui was unperturbed and kept up the high-spirited performance, knowing that his works could earn him another lucrative deal in Europe.

With so much experience and command on and off the ball, he was thus adjudged the best defender in Czech for the 2018/2019 league season.

His versatility would come to play for the indomitable lions who would face Guinea-Bissau, Ghana and Benin in Group F of the Egypt AFCON 2019 scheduled between June 21 and July 19 in a bid to repeat their heroic fete chalked at the 2017 edition with the number of participating teams expanded from 16 to 24.

Being named the leader and captain of the Indomitable Lions in the 2019 African Cup of Nations qualifier against Comoros, Ngadeu-Ngadjui has helped the course of new coach Seedorf, who would be hoping to get a good start in his coaching career in Africa by lifting the trophy come July 19, 2019.

Having majority of his team mates that won the 2017 edition being called up for this year’s edition, Ngadeu-Ngadjui would be counting on some team mates like Eric Maxime Choupo-Moting, Zambo Anguissa and Andre Onana to do the work in Egypt as he counts on the experience he has gathered from playing in Germany and Czech republic, together with his commanding prowess at the backline.

Having Ghana, a fierce rival in the same Group, Ngadeu-Ngadjui and his mates have been tipped by football pundits to advance from Group F, but they would have to outwit Guinea-Bissau on 25th June, 2019 in Ismailia before taking on Ghana on 29th June and a last hurdle against Benin on 2nd July, 2019.

With only two home-based players in goalkeeper Simon Omossola and midfielder Pierre Akono coach Clarence Seedorf, thus has a huge task of pruning his 32 man squad to 23 before the tournament kick-start with so many talented and experienced players at his disposal with other players like goalkeeper Fabrice Ondoa, Collins Fai, Michael Ngadeu-Ngadjui, Ambroise Onyongo, Arnaud Djoum, Clinton Njie, Georges Mandjeck and the tournament's best player Christian Bassogog making up the 32 man squad.