Cameroonians Who Have Played in The UEFA Champions League Final

After the brilliant qualification of Andre Onana and Inter Milan for the 2023 Edition of the UEFA Champions League Final, its time to revisit the list of Cameroonians who have played, or at least was part of the squad for a team that played the finals in Europe's top club competition. 

Cameroonians Who Have Played in The UEFA Champions League Final

• Geremi Sorelle Njitap (Real Madrid 2000 & 2002)

A very versatile player with a wand of right foot, Geremi Njitap was the first ever Cameroonian to be part of a squad that played the Champions League final, doing so in 2000 and 2002 with the competition's most successful Club, Read Madrid. 

Although Njitap didn't feature in both finals, he played a significant role in both of Real's Champions League winning seasons at the turn of the millennium, making a total of 21 appearances, with 1 goal and 1 assist to his credit.

Geremi then moved to Chelsea, where he had a successful 4-year spell (2003 to 2007), winning two league titles, a league cup, and a community shield. Njitap also represented Newcastle United, Middlesborough among others, in a career spanning 15 years.

• Samuel Eto'o Fils ( FC Barcelona 2006, 2009; Inter Milan 2010)

Cameroon's greatest-ever football export, Samuel Eto'o, reached the apex of world football, banging in tons of goals for the likes of Mallorca, Barca, and Inter, amongst many Clubs all over Europe. 

Eto'o was an integral part of FC Barcelona's attacking machinery that terrorized defenses between 2005 and 2009, winning two Champions League titles. In fact, Eto'o scored in both finals, 2006 against Arsenal and 2009 against Manchester United.

Samuel Eto'o repeated the trick a year after leaving the Catalan giants, winning the Champions League with Inter Milan in 2010, providing the assist for Milito's second goal in a 2-0 win over Bayern Munich. After winning all three trophies on offer that season with Inter, Eto'o became the first player to win back-to-back trebles with two Clubs, a record that still stands.

• Joel Matip (Liverpool 2019)

Although a thigh injury in April 2018 ensured Matip missed a chunk of Liverpool's run to the 2018 Champions League final, the towering Centre back will return strongly the following year, playing 8 games in the title-winning Campaign. 

Matip partnered with Virgil Van Dijk at the heart of Liverpool's defense as they defeated Tottenham Hotspurs at the Olympic Stadium in Kyiv, Ukraine. Matip kept a clean sheet and assisted Divock Origi for Liverpool's second goal in the 87th minute, making it 2-0 for the Merseyside Club. 

• Tchoupo Moting (Paris St Germaine, 2020)

Eric Maxime Tchoupo Moting is the most recent Cameroonian to appear in a Champions League final. Doing so with Paris St Germaine in 2020. The Cameroon forward came on as a substitute in the 80th minute with his team trailing 1-0, the goal scored by ex-PSG forward Kingsley Coman. PSG will finish as runners-up that year. Choupo Moting joined Bayern that summer. 

• Andre Onana (Inter Milan, 2023)?

At the time of writing this piece, the 2023 final is still to be played. We hope Andre Onana will become the 5th Cameroonian to play in a Champions League final. The former Ajax man has been a mainstay in the Nerazzurri goal this Campaign. He has now extended the record for most clean sheets by an Inter Keeper in a single Champions League season (8) and is on the verge of matching the all-time record of most clean sheets by a keeper in a single Champions League Season.

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