Aurélien Chedjou breaks his silence and makes a big revelation about Samuel Eto'o

In the latest episode of The Bridge show broadcast on YouTube by ESN Media, Samuel Eto'o and Aurélien Tchouaméni were the star guests of a prestigious panel. The show, known for bringing together emblematic figures of football, gave rise to an interesting discussion on the golden generation of the Cameroon national team. Samuel Eto'o notably expressed a strong opinion: according to him, Cameroon had the team necessary to win the 2002 World Cup. A statement that made Aurélien Tchouaméni react, not without a touch of irony, while reviving precious memories for the former international Aurélien Chedjou, who came to support Eto'o's remarks after the show.

Samuel Eto'o has never been stingy with sensational statements. During this episode of The Bridge, he looked back on Cameroon's adventure during the 2002 World Cup in South Korea and Japan. Eto'o, at the time a pillar of the Cameroonian attack, believes that the Indomitable Lions had all the cards in hand to lift the world trophy.

“We had a team to win the World Cup. We were coming off two victories in the Africa Cup of Nations, in 2000 and 2002. We had won the Sydney Olympics in 2000. Frankly, we had the talent and the experience to go all the way in 2002,” said the former captain of the Indomitable Lions. For Eto'o, this Cameroonian generation had nothing to envy the great teams of the time. “When I look at our opponents, I think we could have beaten anyone. If we hadn't missed certain details, especially in the crucial match against Germany in the group stage, I am convinced that we would have been able to go far in this competition.”he said.

These words did not fail to provoke a reaction from Aurélien Tchouaméni, Real Madrid midfielder, present at his side on the set. Hearing Eto'o's enthusiasm, Tchouaméni could not help but roll his eyes with an amused smile, launching a simple “Samuel…”, as if to indicate that he found the statement a bit exaggerated. This humorous gesture quickly made the rounds on social networks and attracted thousands of comments.

Despite Eto'o's confidence in the team's abilities, the reality is that Cameroon failed to make it past the group stage of this World Cup. The Indomitable Lions finished third in Group E, behind Germany and Ireland, narrowly missing out on a place in the knockout stages. With just four points (a win against Saudi Arabia, a draw against Ireland and a loss to Germany), Cameroon had to exit the competition early, a disappointing result for a team that had been the stuff of dreams before the tournament.

Following the broadcast, Aurélien Chedjou, a former Cameroonian international, reacted to Eto'o's comments. During an interview with a Canal Plus Sport journalist, Chedjou defended his former teammate and captain, arguing that Cameroon did indeed have the means to claim a world title in 2002.

“Cameroon was the CAN champion in 2000 and 2002, and also won the Olympic Games. As I said on the set, people don't really realize the level of this team. We, who were there when they prepared, for example in Cádiz with the Academy, we dreamed with our eyes open. When you looked at each line of players, they were players who inspired us. There were Gérémis, Kalas, Rigobert Song, Salomon Olembe, Pierre Womé, and of course the late Marc-Vivien Foé,” explained Chedjou.

The former defender also spoke about the exceptional quality of this team: “Samuel Eto'o's words are not exaggerated for me. When you win the African Cup final in Nigeria, at home, or in 2002 against Senegal, it was a team without weaknesses. Each line of players was scary. Fousseni said it on the set: when you passed them in the locker room or in the corridors, they looked you straight in the eye, and you knew they were not there to joke. They really came to take the three points and go home.”added Aurelien Chedjou

Aurelien Chedjou was keen to point out that this Cameroonian team had no weak points: “For me, what Samuel said is true. We know Samuel, he likes to make strong statements, but this team, frankly, without falling into an excess of patriotism, is one of the best African teams of all time. It had no weak points. It only lacked details (to go far at the 2002 World Cup), especially against Germany. If it had passed this milestone, I think it could have gone further. Afterwards, in a world competition, anything can happen.” he continued.

For Chedjou, statistics don't tell the whole story. “Today, we only look at statistics, but at the time, we looked at the content. That team was truly one of the best in Africa. Today, many watch matches by consulting their phones, without really analyzing the game. But that team was well-oiled. Even the substitutes were at the same level as the starters.” he said.

The former defender concludes by saying that, without the unfavourable result against Germany, the Cameroonian team could have gone much further in this 2002 World Cup. It was just a question of details: “So for me, yes, this team could have done even more.”