Thomas N'Kono (born 20 July 1956) is a Cameroonian former professional
footballer. One of the greatest
goalkeepers from the continent of Africa, he was mainly associated with
Espanyol, whom he represented for almost a decade playing more than 300 official matches.[2]
N'Kono hardly ever missed a game while with the
Catalans, going on to make 333 competitive appearances.[4] In the
1988–89 season, however, he was not able to help prevent the team's
La Liga relegation, and was eventually replaced by
Vicente Biurrun.[3]
N'Kono placed second in
IFFHS' "African Goalkeeper of the Century" elections, behind
Joseph-Antoine Bell.[9]
International
A
Cameroonian international for almost two decades, N'Kono played in three
World Cups:
1982,
1990 and
1994. In the first two he was the starter, as the nation went out in the group stage without losing a match and exited in the quarter-final against
England, respectively.[10]
The 37-year-old N'Kono was called as backup to Bell in the last minute of the 1994 edition's preparations, and did not play.[11]
Coaching career
N'Kono served as assistant coach to the Cameroon national team, at the same time as being goalkeeping coach at former club Espanyol.[12] In 2002, he was arrested by Malian police for allegedly using "
black magic", prior to the
African Cup of Nations semi-final against
Mali (3–0 win). He was dragged onto the running track after stepping onto the pitch at the 26 March Stadium alongside coach
Winfried Schäfer,[13] and eventually received a one-year ban,[14] which was then lifted, although he was not allowed to sit on the bench for the final;[15] the former also received an apology from the office of the Malian president.[16]
N'Kono, who was the national side's goalkeepers coach, also worked briefly as
interim manager after German
Otto Pfister resigned in protest.[17] The following month, as
Paul Le Guen took the reins of the team, he was reset in his old post.[18][19]
Style of play
N'Kono was a tall, strong, dynamic and athletic goalkeeper, who was known in particular for his speed, agility, reactions, positioning, and ability to produce spectacular and acrobatic saves. One of his most notable characteristics was his ability to come out and punch the ball away with power when crosses were delivered into the area; his unique, instinctive and aggressive style inspired
Gianluigi Buffon as a youngster.[20][21][22]
A commanding presence in goal, N'Kono also stood out for his composure, confidence and leadership throughout his career. In addition to his goalkeeping abilities, he was also known for his moustache and for wearing long trackpants instead of shorts; furthermore, he also had a penchant for performing flamboyant and acrobatic celebrations during matches. Unlike compatriot Bell, he preferred to position himself in deeper areas, rather than rushing out to sweep up the ball.[23][24][25][26][27][28][29][30][31][32][33]
Legacy
Buffon declared that he decided to play in the goalkeeping position after seeing N'Kono's performances at the 1990 World Cup. In addition, he named his first son Louis Thomas in the Cameroonian's honour.[25][34]