Banga – An Indomitable Lion to watch
Some weeks ago, few Cameroonians knew his name. But now, the hopes of the host country of the African Nations Championship (CHAN) rest on this central defender who turned prolific scorer of the Indomitable Lions.
Salomon Banga Bindjeme is the new Cameroonian fans’ favorite. The young Coton Sport de Garoua midfielder is the only Cameroonian player to have found the net in CHAN 2020 group stage, and he did so twice.
His first goal, a bicycle kick against Zimbabwe was the tournament’s opener, and paved way for the second against Mali in the second match.
“I haven't set to score a goal, I'm a center-back. But if it happens today that I score goals, it's totally normal," Banga told CAFOnline.com.
Evolving in a championship little publicized with many disturbances, the 25-year-old has an opportunity to be noticed. His physical qualities, the power of his strikes, his scoring instinct and especially his daring make him a rather special player.
And while forwards find it harder to make their way to goal, Banga is never far away. "It is a great pleasure to be among those who the Cameroonian fans are admiring. I hope better results will follow," he added.
Banga is thirsty for learning and is looking forward to Samuel Eto’o's visit to their camp. The historical top scorer of the Africa Cup of Nations, twice AFCON champion and four times African Player of the Year can inspire his compatriots for more. “I think Samuel is coming to give us some advice to go as far as possible in this competition," Banga noted.
The city of Douala, where the DR Congo - Cameroon match is taking place, has not yet brought luck to the local Indomitable Lions. During the preparations they did not win any game there. But Banga is not worried about that fact. “Those were preparatory matches. CHAN quarterfinal is totally different. We promise to do our best, and I think we'll be fine," concluded Banga.
Cameroon will face DR Congo this Saturday, 30 January 2021 at Japoma Stadium in Douala. The match kicks off at 20:00 local time.