Zambo retires

By Angu Lesley

André-Frank Zambo Anguissa has announced his retirement from international football at the age of 30, ending a nine-year journey with the Cameroon national team that took him from a promising young midfielder to one of the country’s most accomplished players in Europe.

The Napoli midfielder made the announcement in an emotional farewell message, saying representing Cameroon had fulfilled one of the biggest dreams of his childhood.

“Playing for the national team of Cameroon is the dream of every Cameroonian child. I am very happy and above all very grateful to have been able to achieve it,” Anguissa said.

Born in Yaoundé on 16 November 1995, Anguissa began his football journey in Cameroon before making his breakthrough with Coton Sport. His performances earned him a move to France, where he joined Olympique de Marseille in 2015.

His international breakthrough came in March 2017. On 24 March, he made his senior debut for Cameroon in a 1-0 friendly victory over Tunisia.

Only a few months into his international career, Anguissa was selected for Cameroon’s squad at the 2017 FIFA Confederations Cup in Russia. He scored his first international goal during the tournament, finding the net in a 1-1 draw against Australia.

That experience marked the beginning of a long international career in which Anguissa became an important presence in the heart of Cameroon’s midfield.

He featured at three Africa Cup of Nations tournaments – 2019, 2021 and 2023 – and was also part of the Cameroon squad at the 2022 FIFA World Cup in Qatar.

At the 2021 AFCON on home soil, Anguissa played a major role as the Indomitable Lions finished third, securing a bronze medal in front of their home supporters.

His international career ends with 67 appearances and five goals for Cameroon.

At club level, Anguissa’s journey has been equally impressive. After Marseille, he moved to England to join Fulham in 2018 before spending the 2019/20 season on loan at Villarreal in Spain.

In 2021, he joined Napoli, initially on loan, before making the move permanent. The Cameroon midfielder quickly became a key component of the Italian club’s midfield.

He was part of Napoli’s historic 2022/23 Serie A title-winning team, helping the club claim its first Scudetto in more than three decades. Two years later, he added another Serie A title to his collection as Napoli were crowned champions again in 2024/25.

From the streets and football pitches of Cameroon to Marseille, Fulham, Villarreal and ultimately the summit of Italian football with Napoli, Anguissa has built a career that places him among the most successful Cameroonian midfielders of his generation.

But after nine years of international service, the midfielder believes the time has come to close that chapter.

In his farewell message, Anguissa thanked the Cameroon Football Federation, coaches, teammates, members of the technical staff and the Cameroonian people for their support throughout his career.

“I leave the national team with a lot of emotion and pride,” he said.

He concluded his message with a phrase that has become synonymous with Cameroon’s football identity:

“Lion Indomptable un jour, Lion Indomptable toujours. Merci mon Cameroun.”An Indomitable Lion one day, an Indomitable Lion forever. Thank you, my Cameroon.”

At 30, Zambo Anguissa walks away from international football with a World Cup appearance, three AFCON campaigns, an AFCON bronze medal and 67 caps behind him – leaving the national team as a player who successfully carried his Cameroonian roots to the highest levels of European football.