IFFHS NEWS AND STATISTICS OF THE WEEK 39
Picture : Alberto Cifuentes made his debut in Spanish Primera Division at 41 years and 114 days !
CIFUENTES ENTERED IN THE SPAIN HISTORY
Alberto Cifuentes entered last week in the History of Spain’s Primera Division. The captain of FC Cadiz made his debut , his first match in the Primera Division in Spain at 41 years and 114 days old ! This is the oldest Debutant in the Spanish History, his team won 2-0 against SD Huesca !
ALREADY A NEW RECORD FOR THIAGO ALCANTARA
He signed last week in Liverpool after seven fantastic years at FC Bayern München. Last Sunday, he played his first 45 minutes with Liverpool FC in the second half of the match against Chelsea FC and he has beaten the Record of the History in the Premier League. He realized 75 passes in 45 minutes, a new Historical record in England’s Premier League. He made more passes as all the Chelsea team together in 90 minutes !
NEW RECORD FOR KAZUYOSHI MIURA
Kazuyoshi Miura has broken a new Record last week. At 53 years, 6 months and 28 days, he became the oldest Player in the History of the J-League in Japan to be titular in a game ! It was with his team Tokohama FC against Kawasaki Frontale.
The precedent Record was held by Masashi Nakayama in 2012 at 45 years .Miura, named “King Kazu”, was not titular since 2007, but last Sunday, he played the first 56 minutes in his 35th professional season !
He already holds the Record of the oldest Goal Scorer in a professional match when he scored at 50 one goal in 2017.
ANOTHER CAMEROON WORLD CUP STAR, EPHREM M’BOM, DIES IN MISERY
Cameroon’s 1982 World Cup left-half back, Ephrem M’bom, has died at 66 in absolute misery. His health situation which had been quite precarious over the past few years as he nursed a leg tumour, while vainly begging for assistance from Cameroon football authorizes, deteriorated rapidly with him dying Sunday at his home. Concerned friends who received calls of despair arrived late to rush him to the hospital only to be told he had transited on shortly after 5 a.m.
The demise of the player whose diminutive build but very athletic and sturdy defensive approach to the game has raised questions on how much attention former players of the Cameroon national football team are given once out of activity. Poor management of their individual situations by the concerned, or negligence on the part of the country’s football authorities? That is the question. But many are calling for a better approach to the management of player careers of footballers by competent authorities.
Ephrem M’bom is well remembered in the annals of Cameroon football as the little David who pinned down the Polish Goliath(attacking midfielder, and sometimes right winger, Zbigniew Boniek) during their 1982 World Cup group-1 game. His contribution to Cameroon’s invincibility in three matches against Peru, Poland, and eventual tournament winners, Italy was quite undeniable. But before he won the heart of Jean Vincent for a World Cup nod, the player fondly called Bossis, after the defender of France’s Les bleus, Maxime Jean Marcel Bossis, had a strong domestic CV in the game. He sported severally the colors of Éclair, Rail, Leopard, all of Douala, and then of Dragon, and Canon, both of Yaounde. With those clubs, he won 6 national titles, 3 Challenge cup wins, 1 African Cup winners Cup and 3 African Champions Clubs Cup.The late player is preceded in the journey to the world beyond by three other mates of the 1982 party: Théophile Abega, Onana Eloundou, and Charles Toube.
TRANSFERS
Arturo Vidal (Chile) has signed at Inter Milan (Italy) after two years in Barcelona (Spain)
Luis Suarez (Uruguay) leaves FC Barcelona to join Atlético de Madrid (Spain)
Shanice Van de Sanden (Netherlands) leaves Olympique Lyon (France) to join VFL Wolfsburg (Germany).
CURIOSITIES
Harry Kane became last Sunday the FIRST English Player and the sixth Player in PREMIER LEAGUE’S HISTORY to register 4 assists in a single game at the 5-2 win of Tottenham in Southampton !
Manchester City FC has broken the Historical Record of the PREMIER LEAGUE in England, becoming the first team to win his season’s first match since 10 years !
Eugénie Le Sommer, the striker of Olympique Lyon and of France’s National Team, became last Tuesday the BEST GOAL SCORER in the HISTORY of Women’s National Team. Her two goals against Macedonia made her TOTAL to 82 goals, one more than Marinette Pichon (81), who held the record since 20 years.