‘The most mature 17-year-old in the world’ – Footballer from Cameroon’s national team suspended for ‘false identity’

At the AFCON among the Cameroon stars of Vincent Aboubakar (32) and André Onana (27) was the surprise selection of the youngest player at the tournament: Wilfried Nathan Douala. 

The seventeen-year-old was playing for Victoria United, a club in the Limbé region of Cameroon, and his selection stood out alongside Leonel Ateba as the only two players still playing in the nation’s league system to be called up. 

A moment of excitement about “ the rare pearl ” quickly dissipated as questions arose about the relevance and suitability of selecting an inexperienced and ‘young’ attacking midfielder, and already doubts about his age had begun to set in. 

Camerounfoot described him with a tongue-in-cheek statement that he was “ the most mature 17-year-old in the world .” Douala didn’t appear for the side and was never included in the match-day squads as they exited the tournament at the Round of 16 stage to finalists Nigeria. 

What he offered the team and why he was selected was never quite addressed, and if for footballing reasons this selection was a terrible mistake, then on the 10th of March the seriousness of this error was confirmed. Douala was suspended for falsifying his identity and the player was sanctioned. 

Le Monde has allegedly confirmed the ‘true identity’ of Douala, as they had by chance interviewed a player bearing a striking resemblance to the midfielder two years prior; the same scar on their right eyebrow and identical tattoos. Both have the number 69 on their left arm, a cross near the right hand, and three black strips below their left knee. 

The attacking midfielder they had spoken to at the time went by the name Alexandre Bardelli and said he was 21 years old. He was at the time playing for Oryx and talked