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Roger Milla
Milla2008cropped.jpg
Milla in 2008
Personal information
Full name Albert Roger Miller
Date of birth (1952-05-20) 20 May 1952 (age 73)
Place of birth Yaoundé, Cameroon
Height 1.76 m
Playing position Forward
Youth career
1965–1967 Eclair de Douala
Senior career*
Years Team Apps† (Gls)†
1967–1970 Eclair de Douala
1970–1974 Léopard Douala 116 (89)
1974–1977 Tonnerre 87 (69)
1977–1979 Valenciennes 28 (6)
1979–1980 Monaco 17 (2)
1980–1984 Bastia 113 (35)
1984–1986 Saint-Étienne 59 (31)
1986–1989 Montpellier 95 (37)
1989–1990 Saint-Pierroise 23 (8)
1990–1994 Tonnerre 116 (89)
1994–1995 Pelita Jaya 23 (23)
1995–1996 Putra Samarinda 12 (18)
Total 666+ (405+)
National team
1973–1994 Cameroon 102 (36)
Teams managed
2001–2007 Montpellier (coaching staff)
2007–2011 Tonnerre
2011–2012 Tonnerre (director of football)
Honours
Men's football
Representing  Cameroon
Africa Cup of Nations
Winner 1984 Ivory Coast
Winner 1988 Morocco
Runner-up Egypt 1986
Afro-Asian Cup of Nations
Winner 1985 Cameroon
  • Senior club appearances and goals counted for the domestic league only.
† Appearances (Goals).

Albert Roger Miller (born May 20, 1952), known as Roger Milla, is a famous former Cameroonian footballer. He played as a forward, scoring many goals. Roger Milla was one of the very first African players to become a huge international star. He played in three World Cups for the Cameroon national team.

He became famous worldwide at 38 years old. This is an age when most forwards have already retired. He scored four goals at the 1990 FIFA World Cup, becoming the oldest goalscorer in World Cup history. He helped Cameroon become the first African team to reach the World Cup quarter-finals. Four years later, at 42, Milla broke his own record. He scored against Russia in the 1994 FIFA World Cup, making him the oldest goalscorer again.

Milla often celebrated goals by running to the corner flag. He would then do a dance similar to the lambada. In 2004, the legendary Pelé named Milla in the FIFA 100 list. This list includes the world's greatest living players. In 2007, the Confederation of African Football called Milla the best African player of the past 50 years. When he retired, he was the top African goalscorer in World Cup finals with five goals. Later, Asamoah Gyan from Ghana broke his record.

Roger Milla's Early Life

Roger Milla's birth certificate and passport say his name is Roger Miller. This was due to a mistake when he was born. His parents wanted his last name to be 'Milla', like his uncle. His family moved to Douala when he was 11 years old.

His father worked on the railroads. This allowed Milla to travel across Cameroon often as a child. He grew up playing in the streets of Yaoundé. His family was middle-class, so his parents could give him a good education. However, they were not happy when Milla started focusing on football. They did not want him to play the sport at first.

He learned to play football by playing barefoot with other kids. They often used an orange or a tin can instead of a real ball. He also kicked lemons or rags tied together. They played on dusty courts because Cameroon did not have proper soccer academies then. There were no well-kept fields or licensed coaches. Milla played football just for fun and did not think it would be his career. He improved his skills during school holidays.

Roger Milla has three brothers with different last names. They are Joseph Debouba, Jacques Edjanque, and Alexandre Diboussi. He almost stopped playing football after his mother passed away. This happened while he was playing in a faraway game. He also considered quitting when his wife became pregnant with their second child.

Roger Milla's Club Career

Starting in Cameroon

Roger Milla started playing for Eclair de Douala's junior team at 13. He played only in school tournaments at first. After showing how good he was in youth games, he convinced his parents.

He joined Eclair de Douala's senior team at 15. This team was in the second division of the Cameroonian championship. Two years later, at 17, he became the Cameroonian schools high jump champion. In 1970, at 18, he joined Léopard Douala, a top division club. He won three Cameroonian championship titles with them. He scored 89 goals in 116 games for Léopard Douala over four years. In 1974, he moved to Tonnerre Yaoundé. With Tonnerre, he won the African Cup Winners' Cup. He scored 69 goals in 87 games for them.

Playing in France

In 1977, at 25, Milla moved to France. He spent 12 years playing for different clubs there. He joined the French club Valenciennes. He scored 6 goals in 28 league games over two seasons. In 1979, he moved to AS Monaco. He won the 1980 French Cup with Monaco. He scored 5 goals in 25 league and cup games. He had many injuries during his time there, so the team let him go. The next year, he joined Bastia and played for four seasons. Milla scored 42 goals in 133 matches. He helped Bastia win the 1981 French Cup.

He then moved to Saint-Etienne in 1984. The club was recovering from a big scandal and had been moved to a lower division. Milla became a very important player. He played 69 matches and scored 36 goals. He helped the club get back into the first division. From 1986 to 1989, he played for Montpellier. After retiring from French football, Milla later became part of Montpellier's coaching staff. In his first season, he scored 18 goals in 33 games. This helped Montpellier return to Division 1. Overall, he scored 41 goals in 103 games for Montpellier.

Later Years and Retirement

Milla left French football at 37 in 1989. He moved to Réunion in the Indian Ocean and played for JS Saint-Pierroise. After his success at the World Cup, he returned to Tonnerre in Cameroon for four more seasons. He finished his playing career with two clubs in Indonesia after the 1994 World Cup. He retired from football at the end of the 1996 season. In Indonesia, he scored more goals than games he played. He scored 41 goals in just 35 matches over two years.

Roger Milla's International Career

Milla played 77 games for the national team and scored 43 goals. His first game for Cameroon was in 1973. It was a World Cup qualifier against Zaire.

He made his World Cup debut in 1982. This was also Cameroon's first time in the 1982 FIFA World Cup. Cameroon qualified by winning their final matches against Morocco. Milla was key in helping Cameroon qualify. He was the top scorer in the African Zone qualifiers. In the 1982 World Cup, he had mixed feelings. A goal he scored against Peru was not allowed. Cameroon was knocked out after three draws in their first-round games. Two years later, he played for Cameroon at the 1984 Summer Olympics in Los Angeles, California.

Milla was also a vital part of the Cameroonian team that won the 1984 African Cup of Nations. Cameroon beat Nigeria 3-1 in the final to win their first continental title. He was also a key player when Cameroon finished second to Egypt in the 1986 African Cup of Nations final. He won the best player award in that tournament. He was also the top goal scorer with 4 goals. He was named to the 1986 African Cup of Nations team of the tournament. He was also a top goalscorer in the 1988 African Cup of Nations with 2 goals. Milla played a huge role in Cameroon's win at the 1988 African Cup of Nations. He was named player of the tournament and included in the team of the tournament.

In 1988, at 36, Milla retired from international football. He had a special celebration in Cameroon. But in 1990, the President of Cameroon, Paul Biya, called him. The President asked him to come out of retirement and rejoin the national team. Milla agreed and went to Italy with the Indomitable Lions for the 1990 World Cup. He became a sensation there. President Biya wanted Milla to play after seeing him score two goals in a charity match in Douala. Milla officially announced his comeback in May 1990.

It was said that most of his Cameroonian teammates and the coach, Valery Nepomnyashchy, did not want Milla in the 1990 World Cup. But President Biya issued an order telling the coach to pick him. Sports writers and fans in Cameroon also wanted Milla back. This was after Cameroon's poor performance in the 1990 African Cup of Nations.

1990 World Cup Magic

Milla scored all four of his goals in the tournament as a substitute. He started every game on the bench. He came on in the second half in four of the five matches. His two most important goals came against Romania. He scored them within two minutes in extra time after coming on as a substitute. He was seen as a hero in Cameroon after this. The coach decided to bring Milla in earlier against Romania. He knew a win would get Cameroon into the knockout stages. The coach later praised Milla after his important performance in Cameroon's surprising win over Argentina. Milla was the oldest outfield player in the 1990 FIFA World Cup. He was the second oldest player overall.

The 38-year-old Milla became one of the biggest stars of the tournament. He scored four goals in Italy. He celebrated each goal with a dance around the corner flag. This dance has become a popular goal celebration since then. Two of his goals were against Romania in Cameroon's second game. Two more came in extra time against Colombia in the last 16. These goals helped Cameroon reach the quarter-finals. This was the furthest an African team had ever gone in the World Cup. Senegal and Ghana later matched this in 2002 and 2010. Morocco went even further, reaching the semi-finals in 2022.

In the quarter-final match against England, Milla showed his "super-sub" skills again. He came on in the second half when Cameroon was losing 1–0. He helped win a penalty and then set up a goal for Ekeke. This gave Cameroon a 2–1 lead. But England scored two penalties later, winning 3–2 after extra time. Because of his great performances in Italy, he was named African Footballer of the Year again.

His second goal celebration against Colombia became famous worldwide. Coca-Cola even used it in their advertisements for the 2010 FIFA World Cup.

1994 World Cup and Records

Milla returned for the 1994 FIFA World Cup at 42 years old. He was the oldest player ever to appear in a World Cup until 2014. In 2014, Colombia's Faryd Mondragón played at 43 years and 3 days old. Mondragon's record was then broken by Essam El Hadary in 2018. Cameroon was knocked out in the group stages in 1994. However, Milla scored a goal against Russia. This set a new record as the oldest goalscorer in a World Cup tournament. He broke his own record from 1990. His last international game was a friendly match against South Africa in December 1994.

After Playing Football

Roger Milla is now a special ambassador for African causes. He also volunteers for groups like the World Wide Fund for Nature. He started two companies that recycle plastic into paving slabs. In 2004, he was named to the FIFA 100. This list includes 125 of the greatest living footballers chosen by Pelé for FIFA's 100th birthday.

He coached Montpellier from 2001 to 2007. He also managed Tonnerre for four years, from 2007 to 2011.

Roger Milla's Legacy

Finales CAN 2021 (31)
Milla with the Africa Cup of nations trophy in 2022.

In March 2008, he was made the honorary president of the Cameroonian Football Federation. However, he was removed from this role in May 2012. This happened after he criticized the football officials for banning Samuel Eto'o.

On November 24, 2022, FIFA honored Roger Milla for his achievements. The FIFA President, Gianni Infantino, gave him a special plaque. This was before the match between Cameroon and Switzerland at the 2022 FIFA World Cup. Milla was also invited as a special guest to watch the game.

His famous dance celebration at the corner flag during the 1990 FIFA World Cup changed how people saw African football. His celebrations were an instant hit and brought positive energy to viewers. He became the talk of the tournament in 1990. This was because of his skills, dance moves, and technique. People later called him the "King of the Corner Flag."

In 2020, Roger Milla and his Cameroonian teammates received three-bedroom bungalows as gifts. This was to recognize their amazing performance in the 1990 FIFA World Cup. However, they had to wait 30 years for this gift. President Paul Biya had promised it in 1990. The project was delayed for a long time due to concerns about corruption.

Career Highlights

Roger Milla had a long and successful career playing football. He played for many clubs in Cameroon, France, and even Indonesia. He scored a total of 405+ goals in 666+ club games. For his national team, Cameroon, he scored 36 goals in 102 games.

Club Honours

International Honours

Individual Awards

Special Recognition

See also

Kids robot.svg In Spanish: Roger Milla para niños

  • List of men's footballers with 500 or more goals
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