Mvondo Atangana
Encyclopedia
Simon Pierre Mvondo Atangana (born 10 July 1979 in Yaoundé
, Cameroon
) is a former Cameroonian
international
footballer.
After spells in his native country with Fougre, Olympic Mvolyé
and Tonnerre Yaoundé
, as well as a short period in Saudi Arabia
with Al-Fat'h, he moved into Scottish
Premier League
football with Dundee United
in 2000. In 2002 he played for English
club Port Vale
on loan, before signing with Colchester United
. The next year he moved on to non-league sides Grays Athletic
and Halstead Town
. In 2004 he moved to Russia
to play for First Division
Luch-Energia, before moving on to Belarus
Premier League
side Lakamatyu Minsk the following year. He ended his career at Russian side Terek Grozny
in 2006.
with Fougre and Olympic Mvolyé
. In 1998 he won a move to Saudi Arabia
n side Al-Fat'h, though as a devout Catholic
he found himself uncomfortable in the Islam
ic country. Following his spell abroad he returned to Cameroon to play for Tonnerre Yaoundé
.
He joined Dundee United
from Tonnerre Yaoundé in August 2000 after impressing manager Alex Smith in a trial. He made twelve appearances in the 2000–01 campaign, eleven of which were in the SPL
. He was transfer listed in May 2001 after failing to make the first team in eight months.
He missed much of the pre-season after suffering with malaria
. He recovered to win a loan move to English
club Port Vale
in January 2002, but returned to Tannadice Park
after picking up a hamstring injury at Vale Park
during his second appearance for the "Valiants". He was then released by Dundee in April 2002, at which point he joined English side Colchester United
of the Second Division
.
He played six league and one cup game for Colchester in the 2002–03
season, before moving on to Grays Athletic
of the Isthmian League Premier Division. He ended the year with Halstead Town
in the Eastern Counties Football League
.
From there he took the leap into Russia
n football on the advice of his agent. He signed with Luch-Energia of the First Division
. His agent had told him that the club played in the Russian Premier League
, but Atangana put the deception behind him to earn the affectionate nickname "Maxim
" from Energia supporters. He scored eleven goals in 39 league games for the club.
In 2005 he went to Belarus
to play for Premier League
club Lakamatyu Minsk. He scored a ten minute hat-trick past BATE Borisov, and overall managed to bag five goals for the club in ten games.
He returned to Russian later in 2005 to play for Terek Grozny
, this time a genuine Premier League club. However they did lose their top-flight status at the end of 2005. He departed in 2006 after making forty appearances for the club, and seemingly retired from the professional game.
He came out of retirement in 2010 to play for amateur French club CO Saint-Dizier
of the Championnat de France amateur 2.
, he made one appearance for Cameroon
on 23 April 2000 when he came off the bench to replace Pius Ndiefi
51 minutes into the 3–0 World Cup qualifying
win over Somalia
at the Stade Ahmadou Ahidjo.
He was in contention to play for Cameroon at the 2000 Summer Olympics
, but instead opted to concentrate on his club career with Dundee United
. Cameroon went on to take home the gold medal.
Yaoundé
-Transportation:Yaoundé Nsimalen International Airport is a major civilian hub, while nearby Yaoundé Airport is used by the military. Railway lines run west to the port city of Douala and north to N'Gaoundéré. Many bus companies operate from the city; particularly in the Nsam and Mvan neighborhoods...
, Cameroon
Cameroon
Cameroon, officially the Republic of Cameroon , is a country in west Central Africa. It is bordered by Nigeria to the west; Chad to the northeast; the Central African Republic to the east; and Equatorial Guinea, Gabon, and the Republic of the Congo to the south. Cameroon's coastline lies on the...
) is a former Cameroonian
Demographics of Cameroon
This article is about the demographic features of the population of Cameroon, including population density, ethnicity, education level, health of the populace, economic status, religious affiliations and other aspects of the population....
international
Cameroon national football team
The Cameroon national football team, nicknamed Les Lions Indomptables , is controlled by the Fédération Camerounaise de Football and is Africa's most successful side in FIFA world cup; having qualified for the FIFA World Cup six times – in 1982, 1990, 1994, 1998, 2002 and 2010– more than any...
footballer.
After spells in his native country with Fougre, Olympic Mvolyé
Olympic Mvolyé
Olympic Mvolyé, also known as Olympique Mvolyé, is a Cameroonian football club based in Mvolyé.Olympic enjoyed some success in the mid-to-late 1990s as they won the Cameroonian Cup twice in 1992 and 1994 and then went on to compete in Elite One, the country's top level, from 1997 to 2001.They also...
and Tonnerre Yaoundé
Tonnerre Yaoundé
Tonnerre Kalara Club of Yaoundé are a football club based in Yaoundé, Cameroon. The club was most prominent during the 1980s, winning all of their 5 national championship during the decade. They have also won the national cup 5 times...
, as well as a short period in Saudi Arabia
Saudi Arabia
The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia , commonly known in British English as Saudi Arabia and in Arabic as as-Sa‘ūdiyyah , is the largest state in Western Asia by land area, constituting the bulk of the Arabian Peninsula, and the second-largest in the Arab World...
with Al-Fat'h, he moved into Scottish
Scotland
Scotland is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. Occupying the northern third of the island of Great Britain, it shares a border with England to the south and is bounded by the North Sea to the east, the Atlantic Ocean to the north and west, and the North Channel and Irish Sea to the...
Premier League
Scottish Premier League
The Scottish Premier League , also known as the SPL , is a professional league competition for association football clubs in Scotland...
football with Dundee United
Dundee United F.C.
Dundee United Football Club is a Scottish professional football club located in the city of Dundee. Formed in 1909, originally as Dundee Hibernian, the club changed to the present name in 1923...
in 2000. In 2002 he played for English
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
club Port Vale
Port Vale F.C.
Port Vale Football Club is an English football club currently playing in Football League Two. They are based in Burslem, Staffordshire — one of six towns that make up the city of Stoke-on-Trent. The club's traditional rivals in the city are Stoke City, and games between the two clubs are known as...
on loan, before signing with Colchester United
Colchester United F.C.
Colchester United Football Club is an English football club based in Colchester. The club was formed in 1937, and briefly shared their old Layer Road home with now defunct side Colchester Town who had previously used the ground from 1910....
. The next year he moved on to non-league sides Grays Athletic
Grays Athletic F.C.
Grays Athletic Football Club is an English football club currently based in Corringham, Essex after leaving the New Recreation Ground in Grays at the end of the 2009–10 season...
and Halstead Town
Halstead Town F.C.
Halstead Town F.C. is an English football club based in Halstead, Essex. The club are currently members of Eastern Counties League Division One and play at Rosemary Lane.-History:...
. In 2004 he moved to Russia
Russia
Russia or , officially known as both Russia and the Russian Federation , is a country in northern Eurasia. It is a federal semi-presidential republic, comprising 83 federal subjects...
to play for First Division
Football Championship of the National League
The Football Championship of the National League , formerly called Russian First Division is the second level of Russian professional football....
Luch-Energia, before moving on to Belarus
Belarus
Belarus , officially the Republic of Belarus, is a landlocked country in Eastern Europe, bordered clockwise by Russia to the northeast, Ukraine to the south, Poland to the west, and Lithuania and Latvia to the northwest. Its capital is Minsk; other major cities include Brest, Grodno , Gomel ,...
Premier League
Belarusian Premier League
-Soviet era champions:*1934 BVO *1935 BVO *1936 BVO *1937 Dinamo *1938 Dinamo *1939 Dinamo *1940 DKA *1941-44 unknown...
side Lakamatyu Minsk the following year. He ended his career at Russian side Terek Grozny
FC Terek Grozny
FC Terek Grozny is a Russian football club, currently playing in the Russian Premier League....
in 2006.
Club career
Atangana started his career in his native CameroonCameroon
Cameroon, officially the Republic of Cameroon , is a country in west Central Africa. It is bordered by Nigeria to the west; Chad to the northeast; the Central African Republic to the east; and Equatorial Guinea, Gabon, and the Republic of the Congo to the south. Cameroon's coastline lies on the...
with Fougre and Olympic Mvolyé
Olympic Mvolyé
Olympic Mvolyé, also known as Olympique Mvolyé, is a Cameroonian football club based in Mvolyé.Olympic enjoyed some success in the mid-to-late 1990s as they won the Cameroonian Cup twice in 1992 and 1994 and then went on to compete in Elite One, the country's top level, from 1997 to 2001.They also...
. In 1998 he won a move to Saudi Arabia
Saudi Arabia
The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia , commonly known in British English as Saudi Arabia and in Arabic as as-Sa‘ūdiyyah , is the largest state in Western Asia by land area, constituting the bulk of the Arabian Peninsula, and the second-largest in the Arab World...
n side Al-Fat'h, though as a devout Catholic
Catholicism
Catholicism is a broad term for the body of the Catholic faith, its theologies and doctrines, its liturgical, ethical, spiritual, and behavioral characteristics, as well as a religious people as a whole....
he found himself uncomfortable in the Islam
Islam
Islam . The most common are and . : Arabic pronunciation varies regionally. The first vowel ranges from ~~. The second vowel ranges from ~~~...
ic country. Following his spell abroad he returned to Cameroon to play for Tonnerre Yaoundé
Tonnerre Yaoundé
Tonnerre Kalara Club of Yaoundé are a football club based in Yaoundé, Cameroon. The club was most prominent during the 1980s, winning all of their 5 national championship during the decade. They have also won the national cup 5 times...
.
He joined Dundee United
Dundee United F.C.
Dundee United Football Club is a Scottish professional football club located in the city of Dundee. Formed in 1909, originally as Dundee Hibernian, the club changed to the present name in 1923...
from Tonnerre Yaoundé in August 2000 after impressing manager Alex Smith in a trial. He made twelve appearances in the 2000–01 campaign, eleven of which were in the SPL
Scottish Premier League
The Scottish Premier League , also known as the SPL , is a professional league competition for association football clubs in Scotland...
. He was transfer listed in May 2001 after failing to make the first team in eight months.
He missed much of the pre-season after suffering with malaria
Malaria
Malaria is a mosquito-borne infectious disease of humans and other animals caused by eukaryotic protists of the genus Plasmodium. The disease results from the multiplication of Plasmodium parasites within red blood cells, causing symptoms that typically include fever and headache, in severe cases...
. He recovered to win a loan move to English
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
club Port Vale
Port Vale F.C.
Port Vale Football Club is an English football club currently playing in Football League Two. They are based in Burslem, Staffordshire — one of six towns that make up the city of Stoke-on-Trent. The club's traditional rivals in the city are Stoke City, and games between the two clubs are known as...
in January 2002, but returned to Tannadice Park
Tannadice Park
Tannadice Park, usually referred to as Tannadice, is a football stadium located on Tannadice Street in the Scottish city of Dundee. The stadium is home of Dundee United F.C. and has a capacity of 14,209.-Early days :...
after picking up a hamstring injury at Vale Park
Vale Park
Vale Park is a football stadium in Burslem, Stoke-on-Trent, England. It is the home ground of Port Vale F.C., who have played at the ground since 1950....
during his second appearance for the "Valiants". He was then released by Dundee in April 2002, at which point he joined English side Colchester United
Colchester United F.C.
Colchester United Football Club is an English football club based in Colchester. The club was formed in 1937, and briefly shared their old Layer Road home with now defunct side Colchester Town who had previously used the ground from 1910....
of the Second Division
Football League Second Division
From 1892 until 1992, the Football League Second Division was the second highest division overall in English football.This ended with the creation of the FA Premier League, prior to the start of the 1992–93 season, which caused an administrative split between The Football League and the teams...
.
He played six league and one cup game for Colchester in the 2002–03
2002–03 Colchester United F.C. season
The 2002–03 season was Colchester United's fifth consecutive season in the third tier of English football.-Season Review:Manager Steve Whitton was content with the way he was progressing the club but the supporters were not, with the U's recording a 15th position finish the previous season, 17th...
season, before moving on to Grays Athletic
Grays Athletic F.C.
Grays Athletic Football Club is an English football club currently based in Corringham, Essex after leaving the New Recreation Ground in Grays at the end of the 2009–10 season...
of the Isthmian League Premier Division. He ended the year with Halstead Town
Halstead Town F.C.
Halstead Town F.C. is an English football club based in Halstead, Essex. The club are currently members of Eastern Counties League Division One and play at Rosemary Lane.-History:...
in the Eastern Counties Football League
Eastern Counties Football League
The Eastern Counties Football League is an English football league at levels 9 and 10 of the English football league system. It currently contains clubs from Norfolk, Suffolk, northern Essex and eastern Cambridgeshire, and is a feeder to the regional divisions of the Isthmian League and Southern...
.
From there he took the leap into Russia
Russia
Russia or , officially known as both Russia and the Russian Federation , is a country in northern Eurasia. It is a federal semi-presidential republic, comprising 83 federal subjects...
n football on the advice of his agent. He signed with Luch-Energia of the First Division
Football Championship of the National League
The Football Championship of the National League , formerly called Russian First Division is the second level of Russian professional football....
. His agent had told him that the club played in the Russian Premier League
Russian Premier League
The Russian Premier League , currently called SOGAZ Russian Football Championship due to sponsorship reasons, is the top division of Russian football. There are 16 teams in the competition...
, but Atangana put the deception behind him to earn the affectionate nickname "Maxim
Maxim gun
The Maxim gun was the first self-powered machine gun, invented by the American-born British inventor Sir Hiram Maxim in 1884. It has been called "the weapon most associated with [British] imperial conquest".-Functionality:...
" from Energia supporters. He scored eleven goals in 39 league games for the club.
In 2005 he went to Belarus
Belarus
Belarus , officially the Republic of Belarus, is a landlocked country in Eastern Europe, bordered clockwise by Russia to the northeast, Ukraine to the south, Poland to the west, and Lithuania and Latvia to the northwest. Its capital is Minsk; other major cities include Brest, Grodno , Gomel ,...
to play for Premier League
Belarusian Premier League
-Soviet era champions:*1934 BVO *1935 BVO *1936 BVO *1937 Dinamo *1938 Dinamo *1939 Dinamo *1940 DKA *1941-44 unknown...
club Lakamatyu Minsk. He scored a ten minute hat-trick past BATE Borisov, and overall managed to bag five goals for the club in ten games.
He returned to Russian later in 2005 to play for Terek Grozny
FC Terek Grozny
FC Terek Grozny is a Russian football club, currently playing in the Russian Premier League....
, this time a genuine Premier League club. However they did lose their top-flight status at the end of 2005. He departed in 2006 after making forty appearances for the club, and seemingly retired from the professional game.
He came out of retirement in 2010 to play for amateur French club CO Saint-Dizier
CO Saint-Dizier
Club Olympique de Saint-Dizier is a French football club based in Saint-Dizier, Haute-Marne. It was founded in 1933. The club currently plays in the Championnat de France Amateurs 2 Group B, the fifth tier of the French football league system....
of the Championnat de France amateur 2.
International career
After making a number of appearances for the under-21 sideCameroon national under-20 football team
-Appearances:-Honors:*African Youth Championship** Winners : 1995** Runners-up : 1981, 1993, 2009, 2011** Third Place : 1999*Jeux de la Francophonie** Third Place: 1997** Fourth Place: 2001, 2005-Squad:...
, he made one appearance for Cameroon
Cameroon national football team
The Cameroon national football team, nicknamed Les Lions Indomptables , is controlled by the Fédération Camerounaise de Football and is Africa's most successful side in FIFA world cup; having qualified for the FIFA World Cup six times – in 1982, 1990, 1994, 1998, 2002 and 2010– more than any...
on 23 April 2000 when he came off the bench to replace Pius Ndiefi
Pius Ndiefi
Pius Ndiefi Sielenu is a Cameroonian football player who currently playing for JS Saint-Pierroise.-Career:Ndiefi learned that his father had died the day before Germinal Beerschot had to play the second leg of the 2005-06 UEFA Cup against Olympique de Marseille...
51 minutes into the 3–0 World Cup qualifying
2002 FIFA World Cup qualification – CAF First Round
The CAF First Round of 2002 FIFA World Cup qualification was contested between 50 CAF members.The 50 teams were divided into 5 pools of 10 teams each. In each pool, the 10 teams were paired up to play knockout matches on a home-and-away basis...
win over Somalia
Somalia national football team
The Somalia national football team, nicknamed The Ocean Stars, is the national football team of Somalia. It is controlled by the Somali Football Federation, and is a member of the Confederation of African Football and the Union of Arab Football Associations . It has never qualified for the final...
at the Stade Ahmadou Ahidjo.
He was in contention to play for Cameroon at the 2000 Summer Olympics
Football at the 2000 Summer Olympics
The football tournament at the 2000 Summer Olympics was the 20th official Olympic football tournament. A women's tournament was held for the second time.-Medal winners:-Venues:*Olympic Stadium, Sydney*Sydney Football Stadium, Sydney*Bruce Stadium, Canberra...
, but instead opted to concentrate on his club career with Dundee United
Dundee United F.C.
Dundee United Football Club is a Scottish professional football club located in the city of Dundee. Formed in 1909, originally as Dundee Hibernian, the club changed to the present name in 1923...
. Cameroon went on to take home the gold medal.
External links
- Profile at KLISF