Wilfried Nathan Douala (born 15 May 2006) is a Cameroonian professional footballer who plays as a midfielder for Elite One club Victoria United.
| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | Wilfried Nathan Douala | ||
| Date of birth | 15 May 2006 | ||
| Place of birth | Douala, Cameroon | ||
| Height | 1.72 m (5 ft 8 in) | ||
| Position(s) | Midfielder | ||
| Team information | |||
Current team | Victoria United | ||
| Number | 10 | ||
| Youth career | |||
| –2023 | Donlap | ||
| Senior career* | |||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) |
| 2023– | Victoria United | ||
| International career‡ | |||
| 2024– | Cameroon U-20 | 1 | (1) |
|
*Club domestic league appearances and goals ‡ National team caps and goals, correct as of 26 September 2024 | |||
Club career
editBorn in Douala, Wilfried Nathan Douala was a youth product of Donlap. In 2023, he was transferred to Victoria United, a team based in Limbé. In April 2024, he scored the equalizer goal to help Victoria United draw 2–2 against Stade Renard, thus helping his team officially win the Elite One title for the first time in their history.[1][2][3]
International career
editIn 2024, he was named in Cameroon national team's final squad to participate in the 2023 Africa Cup of Nations. Being the youngest member of the squad, he didn't make any appearance during the tournament.[4][5]
Age fraud scandal
editHis call-up for the 2023 Africa Cup of Nations sparked controversy over his age, with some expressing doubts about whether he was really 17 years old, because of his appearance that is older than his age.[5][6] On 11 March 2024, the French newspaper Le Monde published an investigation, showing that Douala's name is actually Alexandre Bardelli and he would be at least 23 years old.[7] Later in the month, Douala was included among the 62 players suspended by the Cameroonian Football Federation due to problems of age fraud and double identity, but he was later cleared by the Federation.[8][9]
Honours
editVictoria United
- Elite One: 2023–24
References
edit- ^ "Polémique : Qui est réellement Nathan Wilfried Douala, le jeune de 17 ans sélectionné par Rigobert Song" (in French). Africa Press. 29 December 2023.
- ^ "CAN : Wilfried Nathan Douala la nouvelle pépite des Lions Indomptables" (in French). Orange Sports. 2 January 2024.
- ^ "Victoria United crowned 2024 Elite One champions". Cameroon News Agency. 29 April 2024.
- ^ "Lions Indomptables : Qui est Wilfried Nathan Douala ?" (in French). Actu Cameroun. 28 December 2023.
- ^ a b "Wilfried Nathan Douala : 17 ans et des polémiques" (in French). So Foot. 5 January 2024.
- ^ "CAN Côte-d'Ivoire: Au Cameroun l'âge de Wilfried Nathan Douala (17 ans) « fait polémique »" (in French). Connection Ivoirienne. 30 December 2023.
- ^ "Cameroun : un footballeur de la sélection nationale suspendu pour « double identité »" (in French). Le Monde. 11 March 2024.
- ^ "62 joueurs du Championnat mis en cause, le problème récurrent de la fraude d'âge au Cameroun" (in French). L'Équipe. 11 April 2024.
- ^ "Double identité : Wilfried Nathan Doualla blanchi" (in French). Afrique Sur 7. 19 March 2024.
External links
edit- Wilfried Nathan Douala at Soccerway