People often let players who are on the less flamboyant side of the game slip their mind once their career is over. One such star is Thomas N'Kono.
The Cameroon legend achieved great success at both international and club level, in a career that saw him dominate on his own continent before making a name for himself in Europe as a goalkeeper who seemed to have springs as studs and glue on his gloves.
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He is considered by many to be one of the greatest goalkeepers Africa has ever produced, and those who were privileged enough to witness him live, in his heyday, would probably attest to that statement. N'Kono's abilities in goal, as the last line of defence, were key to helping him achieve what he managed to in a career that spanned a length of 22 years. While goalkeepers are known to have longer careers as the general consensus is that they peak at a later age, being a professional footballer for that long is remarkable on its own.
His professional career, according to Transfermarkt, began in 1975 when he moved from Canon Yaounde to TKC Yaounde. He spent a year at TKC before moving back to Canon, and in 1982, he left his country to embark on a journey to Spain. The shot-stopper spent the majority of his career in the land of paella and bulls, representing Espanyol (from 1982 to 1991), CE Sabadell (1991 to 1993), and CE L'Hospitalet (1993 to 1994).
He went on to reach incredible heights during the course of his career. What makes his rise more remarkable is that he began playing football on the streets.
Speaking to GOAL, N'Kono revealed there was no youth football in the town that he grew up in, only tournaments that were hosted during the holidays.
He went on to divulge that he would "walk 25km" regularly just to play football, with the exception of some days on which a kind taxi driver who shared an intense passion for the beautiful game would take him to the games. Those literal hard yards paid off when he began playing in the country's second division at the tender age of just 16.
After overcoming the hurdles that comes with a disadvantaged start to his career, he went on to become a much-loved figure for the Espanyol faithful while becoming the foreign player with the most league appearances in the club's history. In 256 appearances, the keeper managed to keep 78 clean sheets, making some incredible saves while doing so.
His international achievements, however, are something to marvel at. He is a two-time African Player of the Year, winning the prestigious individual award in 1979 and 1982. In addition to his individual accolades, the now Espanyol goalkeeping coach was part of the iconic Indomitable Lions side that won the 1984 Africa Cup of Nations. Then, in 1990, during his second of three World Cups with the national team, he helped the side record their best-ever run in the tournament, reaching the quarter-finals, where they were knocked out by England.
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Given that he arrived in Spain in the early 1980s, a period in which the popularity of African players was still on the rise, he became the example for players coming up on the continent. It is probably safe to say that he did justice in this role of a pioneer inspiring not only Africans, but also a 'keeper who went on to become one of the greatest to have ever stood between two goal posts: Gianluigi Buffon.
"I must say that Cameroon's 1990 World Cup team will always have a special place in my heart," Buffon told BBC Sport Africa.
"Watching N'Kono in goal triggered something and motivated me to become a goalkeeper, because I loved to death the way he interpreted the goalkeeping role.
"I loved his personality so much and the way he would come out of goal to punch the ball away. He also had exceptional reflexes.
"I loved scoring, which would give me so much satisfaction. But then that thing [seeing N'Kono] happened and I'm happy things went that way.
"That was an important sliding doors moment in my life."
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