Carlos Kameni facts for kids
Kameni playing for Cameroon in 2009
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| Personal information | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | Idriss Carlos Kameni | ||||||||||||
| Date of birth | 18 February 1984 | ||||||||||||
| Place of birth | Douala, Cameroon | ||||||||||||
| Height | 1.84 m (6 ft 0 in) | ||||||||||||
| Position(s) | Goalkeeper | ||||||||||||
| Youth career | |||||||||||||
| 1995–2000 | Kadji Sports | ||||||||||||
| Senior career* | |||||||||||||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) | ||||||||||
| 2000–2004 | Le Havre | 2 | (0) | ||||||||||
| 2002–2003 | → Saint-Étienne (loan) | 0 | (0) | ||||||||||
| 2004–2012 | Espanyol | 222 | (0) | ||||||||||
| 2012–2017 | Málaga | 113 | (0) | ||||||||||
| 2017–2019 | Fenerbahçe | 9 | (0) | ||||||||||
| 2021–2022 | Arta/Solar7 | 20 | (0) | ||||||||||
| 2022–2023 | Santa Coloma | 7 | (0) | ||||||||||
| 2023–2024 | Antequera | 4 | (0) | ||||||||||
| International career | |||||||||||||
| 1999 | Cameroon U20 | 3 | (0) | ||||||||||
| 2000 | Cameroon U23 | 3 | (0) | ||||||||||
| 2001–2019 | Cameroon | 71 | (0) | ||||||||||
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Medal record
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| *Club domestic league appearances and goals, correct as of 12:45, 6 March 2024 (UTC) | |||||||||||||
Idriss Carlos Kameni (born on February 18, 1984) is a professional footballer from Cameroon. He plays as a goalkeeper, which means he protects the goal and tries to stop the other team from scoring.
Carlos Kameni spent most of his football career playing in Spain. He was a key player for Espanyol for eight seasons in La Liga, which is Spain's top football league. He also played professionally in France and Turkey.
Kameni started playing for the Cameroon national team before he was 20 years old. He represented his country in two World Cups and six Africa Cup of Nations tournaments, showing his dedication to his national team.
Contents
Carlos Kameni's Club Career Highlights
Starting in France
Carlos Kameni was born in Douala, Cameroon. He first became famous at just 16 years old when he won an Olympic gold medal in football at the 2000 Sydney Olympics. This amazing achievement helped him move to the French club Le Havre AC.
Even though he joined Le Havre, he mostly stayed as a reserve player and didn't get much playing time. He was also loaned to AS Saint-Étienne but still didn't play in any matches there. In 2001, there were talks about him joining the famous Italian club Juventus FC, but it didn't happen. Kameni also almost joined the English club Wolverhampton Wanderers for a season, but he couldn't get a work permit for the United Kingdom.
Playing for Espanyol in Spain
In July 2004, when he was 20, Kameni moved to Spain and joined RCD Espanyol. He quickly became the main goalkeeper in his second year. In the 2005–06 season, Espanyol won the Copa del Rey (a major Spanish cup competition). Kameni was a backup goalkeeper for this win.
In the 2006–07 season, Kameni was the starting goalkeeper for Espanyol. He helped his team reach the finals of the UEFA Cup (now called the Europa League), where they finished as runners-up. During his time at Espanyol, Kameni also set a new club record for the longest time without letting in a goal, keeping a clean sheet for 498 minutes!
Time at Málaga CF
After many successful seasons as Espanyol's main goalkeeper, Kameni moved to Málaga CF on January 13, 2012. He made his first league appearance for Málaga on March 25, when he came on as a substitute and helped his new team win 2–1 against his old club, Espanyol. He kept a clean sheet for the time he was on the field.
Kameni became Málaga's main goalkeeper after their previous keeper left. On September 26, 2015, he had an incredible game against Real Madrid at their home stadium, the Santiago Bernabéu Stadium. Even though Real Madrid took 31 shots, Kameni made many amazing saves, and the game ended in a 0–0 draw. He was named the Player of the match for his outstanding performance. In the next game, he became the first Málaga goalkeeper to provide an assist in Spain's top league.
On March 2, 2016, Kameni accidentally scored an own goal in a game against Valencia CF, which Málaga lost 1–2. A few days later, he had to leave a match early due to an injury. On November 19, 2016, he once again showed his skill by stopping many shots from FC Barcelona in another 0–0 draw.
Moving to Fenerbahçe in Turkey
In July 2017, Kameni signed a three-year contract with the Turkish club Fenerbahçe SK. He played his first game in the Süper Lig (Turkey's top league) on September 17, in a 4–1 away win. He left Fenerbahçe in August 2019.
Later Career Teams
In April 2021, at 37 years old, Kameni came out of retirement to join Arta/Solar7, a club in Djibouti. He then moved to another team and country in August 2022, signing with UE Santa Coloma in Andorra's Primera Divisió.
Kameni returned to Spain on October 28, 2023, to play for Antequera CF in the Primera Federación league. He left the club in January 2024.
Carlos Kameni's International Career
Carlos Kameni started playing for the Cameroon national team when he was just 17 years old. His first international game was a friendly match against South Korea on May 25, 2001.
He was part of the national team for the 2002, 2004, 2006, and 2008 Africa Cup of Nations tournaments. He was the starting goalkeeper in all but the first of these competitions. He also played a key role when Cameroon finished second in the 2003 FIFA Confederations Cup.
In 2002, Kameni was chosen for Cameroon's squad for the 2002 FIFA World Cup. He was named the Best African Goalkeeper for the 2006–07 season, after being the runner-up the season before.
Kameni was also selected for the 2010 FIFA World Cup in South Africa. Many people expected him to be the starting goalkeeper, but the coach chose another player instead. Cameroon was the first team to be eliminated from the tournament after losing all three of their group matches.
On October 27, 2015, after being out of the national team for more than two years, Kameni was called back by the new manager for a game against Niger in the 2018 World Cup qualifiers.
Personal Life
Carlos Kameni has an older brother named Mathurin, who was also a professional footballer and a goalkeeper.
Honours and Achievements
Carlos Kameni has won several awards and titles throughout his career:
With Espanyol
- Copa del Rey: 2005–06 (Winner)
- UEFA Cup runner-up: 2006–07
With Arta/Solar7
- Djibouti Premier League: 2021–22 (Winner)
- Djibouti Cup: 2022 (Winner)
With Cameroon U23
- Summer Olympics: 2000 (Gold Medal)
With Cameroon National Team
- Africa Cup of Nations: 2002 (Winner)
- FIFA Confederations Cup runner-up: 2003
Individual Awards
- Málaga Player of the Year: 2014–15
See also
In Spanish: Carlos Kameni para niños
