Farewell to Emmanuel Kundé, Cameroon icon of the 1990 World Cup

Football mourns the passing of Emmanuel Kundé, one of the legends of African soccer. According to reports from Fecafoot (Cameroon’s soccer federation), the’former Indomitable Lions national team member passed away at the age of 68 at his home in the outskirts of Yaoundé, capital of Cameroon.

The news immediately triggered a’wave of reactions from former teammates, fans and anyone who knew who he was Emmanuel Kundé, one of the strongest defenders in the history of the Cameroonian national team.

His name is mainly linked to his expedition to the Italian World Cup in 1990. Emmanuel Kundé was part of the Cameroon team that won, the first time for an African national team, the quarterfinals in that’edition of the World Cup. In total, he played 127 matches with Cameroon, also participating in the 1982 World Cup. Hhe also won two African Cups of Nations with the Indomitable Lions in 1984 and 1988. In short, a true symbol of a generation of phenomena that changed the perception of African soccer in the world.

“He was much more than a defender. He was the wall that protected the team and the mind that started the’action. A complete footballer, a symbol of our game” the words of Samuel Eto’o, president of the Cameroon Football Federation.