The Equatorial Guinean striker has been tormenting the defenses that have stood in his way since the start of this CAN. Top scorer in the history of his selection, for eleven years he has been an essential element of Nzalang Nacional which faces Guinea this Sunday for a place in the quarter-final.
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From our special correspondent in Abidjan,
Who will be the top scorer? this CAN 2024 ? Mohamed Salah ? Sadio Mane ? Victor Osimhen ? Review your predictions, the player currently at the top of the scorer rankings is a certain Emilio Nsue, an Equatorial Guinean striker who is currently playing in the Spanish third division.
His name may not mean much to you but in Spain, Emilio Nsue is not a total unknown. Born in Majorca to an Equatorial Guinean father and a Spanish mother, young Emilio learned his lessons in the Spanish youth teams. Then a great hope of Iberian football, he won the European Under-19 Championship in 2007, then the European Youth Championship in 2011.
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Having turned professional in 2006 with RCD Mallorca at the age of 17, a club with which he played 151 matches in six seasons, the young player will however have all the difficulty in the world to confirm the hopes placed in him at the highest level, which will make him then follow a tortuous route between English Championship clubs and Cyprus.
At the top of the scorer rankings
With a hat-trick against Guinea-Bissau and a double against Ivory Coast, Emilio Nsue is currently well at the top of the scorers’ ranking ahead of the Egyptian Mostafa Mohamed and Baghdad Bounedjah (3 goals) who has already left the competition with Algeria. “ To be honest, I find it a little hard to believe, this kind of thing happens in football. For me it’s a dream, I’m currently in great shape », rejoiced the striker after the qualification against the Elephants.
It’s almost a rebirth for the player after a CAN 2022 in Cameroon where, out of shape, he hardly played. At the time, Nsue was unemployed and looking for a club and this memory of a missed tournament stuck in his throat. “ This African Cup that I experienced so badly gave me the strength to believe that I could not fail in this one, that I had to leave with a better taste in my mouth “, he told AFP.
The old wise man of Nzalang Nacional
Top scorer in the history of Nzalang Nacional (“the lightning” in Fang and “national” in Spanish, Editor’s note) with 22 goals in 43 caps since his first cap in 2013, Emilio Nsué is a pillar of the team. “ He knew that the supporters were not happy with his CAN 2022. I gave him back my confidence and he is now the top scorer for Equatorial Guinea. He is a great professional », Explains the Equatoguinean coach.
Juan Micha does not hide his satisfaction at seeing his top striker regain his best level. Especially since with eleven years spent with Equatorial Guinea, Nsue, who is also the captain of the team, today appears like a wise old man and his role within the group is far from being confined to scoring goals . “ For us Emilio, he is the player who brings us all his experience and he advises the young people because there are many in this selection, explains the technician. He plays in the Spanish third division and that’s not a problem, we know he has the level to play higher, he played at Real Sociedad and Mallorca in the first division “.
“ I will fight to remain top scorer »
At 34, Nsue is reaching the twilight of his career and he himself admits that this may be his last CAN. The level he displays during the last matches could certainly open up other horizons for him but, according to his coach, not sure that this interests the player very much. “ He could definitely play at a better level, but I think he wants to stay where he already plays, he’s very happy there », smiles Juan Micha.
Because with his atypical career, Emilio Nsue is a bit of a UFO in the current football landscape. A leading striker in the selection, he most often plays as a full-back in his club Intercity located in Alicante. A big gap that doesn’t seem to bother him in the least. But as he piles on the goals with Nzalang, Nsue seems determined to put the team before his personal statistics. “ I will fight to remain the top scorer, we will see. But the most important thing is to win matches “, he says. It’s mathematical, in football, to win you have to score, Emilio Nsue’s two objectives are therefore not incompatible. He will still have plenty of time to prove it this Sunday at the Alassane Ouattara stadium in Ebimpé against Guinea.