Pierre Webó

Pierre Achille Webó Kouamo (born 20 January 1982), known as Webó, is a Cameroonian football manager and former professional player who played as a striker. He is the assistant manager of Turkish club İstanbul Başakşehir.

Pierre Webó
Webó playing for Fenerbahçe in 2013
Personal information
Full name Pierre Achille Webó Kouamo[1][2]
Date of birth (1982-01-20) 20 January 1982[2]
Place of birth Bafoussam, Cameroon[2]
Height 1.80 m (5 ft 11 in)[2]
Position(s) Striker
Club information
Current team
 İstanbul Başakşehir (assistant)
Youth career
Kouogat
Senior career*
Years Team Apps (Gls)
1999–2000 Real Banjul
2000–2002 Nacional 21 (15)
2003–2007 Osasuna 114 (20)
2003 → Leganés (loan) 7 (0)
2007–2011 Mallorca 113 (27)
2011–2013 İstanbul Başakşehir 54 (24)
2013–2015 Fenerbahçe 65 (24)
2015–2017 Osmanlıspor 49 (15)
2017–2018 Gazişehir 24 (7)
2018 Nacional 2 (0)
Total 449 (132)
National team
2003–2014 Cameroon 58 (19)
Teams managed
2019– İstanbul Başakşehir (assistant)
* Senior club appearances and goals counted for the domestic league only

He spent eight years of his career in La Liga, appearing in a combined 227 matches for Osasuna and Mallorca and scoring 47 goals (in Spain he also represented Leganés). He also competed professionally in Uruguay and Turkey.

A Cameroon international in the 2000s, Webó appeared with the country in two World Cups and as many Africa Cup of Nations.

Playing career

Early years

Born in Bafoussam, West Region, Webó started his professional career in Uruguay, playing three years with Club Nacional de Football, winning two Primera División titles – although he only was an important first-team member in his third year – and becoming top scorer of the 2002 edition of the South American Cup.[3]

He moved to Europe in January 2003, signing with second division club CD Leganés, on the outskirts of Madrid, on loan from CA Osasuna.[4]

Osasuna

In the summer of 2003, Webó returned to Osasuna, for whom he scored six goals in his third season, being instrumental in the Navarrese side's fourth La Liga place and UEFA Champions League qualification, although they would ultimately be ousted by Hamburger SV prior to the group stage.

His 2006–07 pre-season was hampered after he was forced to undergo treatment for malaria,[5] but he went on to produce similar numbers in the league, adding two goals in nine games in the team's semi-final run in the UEFA Cup, including the match's only in a home tie against Rangers.[6]

Mallorca

Webó moved to RCD Mallorca in 2007, spending most of his first season on the sidelines with an injury.[7] He did manage five league goals.

Webó in action for Mallorca in 2011

After Dani Güiza's departure, Webó's importance increased, and he totalled 18 goals the following three seasons, netting six in 2009–10 as the Balearic Islands team finished fifth and qualified to the Europa League (later revoked).[8]

In the 2011 off-season, after scoring 11 goals in the campaign,[9][10] with Mallorca narrowly avoiding relegation, Webó signed a three-year contract extension. In August, however, he asked to be relieved from his obligations for personal reasons,[11] and joined İstanbul Başakşehir F.K. in Turkey.

Turkey

On 11 September 2011, in the first round of the season, Webó scored on his official debut for his new club, a 2–0 home defeat of Galatasaray SK.[12] On 31 January 2013, he signed a two-and-a-half-year deal with fellow Süper Lig side Fenerbahçe SK for €3 million.[13][14] Again he found the net in the first competitive match with his new team, but in a 1–2 home loss to Sivasspor.

On 7 March 2013, Webó scored the game's only goal in a win at FC Viktoria Plzeň in that season's Europa League round of 16 (2–1 on aggregate).[15] He added another the following round, through a penalty for the first in a 2–0 home victory over S.S. Lazio.[16]

Webó played in his first derby match against Galatasaray on 12 May 2013, scoring twice to secure a 2–1 win.[17] The game was marred by racist chants from Fenerbahçe fans, directed to opposing players Didier Drogba and Emmanuel Eboué.[18]

From 2015 to 2018, Webó continued to compete in the country, with Osmanlıspor[19] and Gazişehir Gaziantep FK (the latter club in the TFF First League).[20]

Return to Nacional

In September 2018, the 36-year-old Webó returned to Nacional de Montevideo after 16 years.[21] After only 59 minutes of play across two league appearances,[22] he left before the start of the 2019 season.[23]

International

An international since 2003, Webó's first highlight playing for the Cameroon national team was a hat-trick in his country's 3–2 win in Ivory Coast in the 2006 FIFA World Cup qualifiers,[24] but his team would not travel to Germany, precisely at the hands of that opponent.

Webó scored in a 1–3 friendly loss against Portugal on 1 June 2010,[25] and started in the first two games at that year's FIFA World Cup in South Africa (both ending in defeat), with the player not managing to find the net.[26][27]

Webó was called up for the Africa Cup of Nations in 2006 and 2010,[28] as well as the 2014 FIFA World Cup, but did not score in any tournament;[29] however, at the latter continental tournament he set up both goals as a substitute in a draw with Tunisia that saw his team into the quarter-finals.[30] On 17 November 2013, he was among the scorers in a 4–1 playoff victory over the same opponents that took Cameroon to the World Cup in Brazil.[31]

Coaching career

After retiring, Webó joined İstanbul Başakşehir's coaching staff under Okan Buruk.[32] In a Champions League group stage fixture against Paris Saint-Germain F.C. on 8 December 2020, he accused he was the target of racism by Romanian fourth official Sebastian Colțescu. The latter had allegedly used a term (negru, meaning black in Romanian), similar to a taboo word (niger, a racial slur in English and French) in some western European countries but without the racial connotations, when describing and pointing out Webó to the main referee of the match, Ovidiu Hațegan; the incident, which occurred in the first half, ultimately led to the match being postponed, while UEFA also opened an investigation on the matter.[33]

Personal life

Webó's cousin Geremi was a long-time international teammate for Cameroon.[34]

Honours

Club

Nacional

Osasuna

Fenerbahçe

Individual

References
  1. "2014 FIFA World Cup Brazil: List of players" (PDF). FIFA. p. 7. Retrieved 11 June 2014.
  2. "Pierre Achille WEBÓ Kouamo". El Mundo (in Spanish). Retrieved 20 March 2020.
  3. "Goleadores de la Copa Sudamericana" [South American Cup scorers] (in Spanish). ESPN Deportes. 1 August 2010. Retrieved 3 August 2011.
  4. Tamaral, S. (30 January 2003). "Webó, ilusionado con su nuevo reto" [Webó, hungry about his new challenge]. Mundo Deportivo (in Spanish). Retrieved 15 December 2014.
  5. "Fitness battle for Osasuna's Webo". UEFA. 21 July 2006. Retrieved 21 April 2010.
  6. Lindsay, Clive (14 March 2007). "Osasuna 1–0 Rangers (agg 2–1)". BBC Sport. Retrieved 8 February 2013.
  7. "Nations Cup agony for Webo". BBC Sport. 18 December 2007. Retrieved 25 September 2009.
  8. "El Mallorca, fuera de la Europe League" [Mallorca, out of Europa League]. El Mundo (in Spanish). 12 August 2010. Retrieved 15 December 2014.
  9. Forteza, Gabriel (9 December 2010). "Webó amenaza al Racing con su racha goleadora" [Webó threatens Racing with his scoring streak]. Diario AS (in Spanish). Retrieved 15 December 2014.
  10. "Webó, a un gol de Magdaleno y Aduriz" [Webó, one goal behind Magdaleno and Aduriz] (in Spanish). Fútbol Balear. 4 March 2011. Retrieved 15 December 2014.
  11. "Webó: "Me voy por motivos familiares"" [Webó: "I leave for family reasons"]. Marca (in Spanish). 2 August 2011. Retrieved 3 August 2011.
  12. "Büyükşehir Belediyespor 2–0 Galatasaray" (in Turkish). Turkish Football Federation. 11 September 2011. Retrieved 11 September 2011.
  13. "Webo da Artık Bizimle" [Webo is no longer with us] (in Turkish). Fenerbahçe S.K. 1 February 2013. Retrieved 2 February 2013.
  14. "Özel Durum Açıklaması (Genel)" [Disclosure of exception (general)] (in Turkish). KAP. 1 February 2013. Retrieved 2 February 2013.
  15. "Advantage Fenerbahçe after Webó sinks Plzeň". UEFA. 7 March 2013. Retrieved 7 March 2013.
  16. "Forceful Fenerbahçe punish ten-man Lazio". UEFA. 4 April 2013. Retrieved 5 April 2013.
  17. "Fenerbahçe savors 2–1 derby win, arch-rivals Galatasaray savors league title". Hürriyet Daily News. 12 May 2013. Retrieved 16 May 2013.
  18. "Galatasaray: Didier Drogba questions racists who abused him". BBC Sport. 14 May 2013. Retrieved 16 May 2013.
  19. "Villarreal comparte grupo con un histórico, un novato y un equipo de segunda" [Villarreal in same group as historic, rookie and second-tier team]. La Vanguardia (in Spanish). 26 August 2016. Retrieved 14 September 2018.
  20. Díaz, Juan José (27 December 2017). "Webó, el 9 de Twitter" [Webó, the Twitter's 9]. El Observador (in Spanish). Retrieved 14 September 2018.
  21. Okeleji, Oluwashina (12 September 2018). "Cameroon's Pierre Webo returns to Uruguay after 18 years". BBC Sport. Retrieved 13 September 2018.
  22. "Con el bisturí a fondo" [To the hilt]. El Observador (in Spanish). 2 January 2019. Retrieved 13 February 2019.
  23. "Pierre Webo: "Nunca le reclamaría a Nacional"" [Pierre Webo: "I would never ask Nacional for anything"] (in Spanish). Sport 890. 10 January 2019. Retrieved 13 February 2019.
  24. "Cameroon in pole position". BBC Sport. 5 September 2005. Retrieved 14 September 2018.
  25. "Mundial2010: Portugal vence Camarões (3–1) na despedida da Covilhã" [2010World Cup: Portugal beat Cameroon (3–1) in farewell to Covilhã] (in Portuguese). Mais Futebol. 1 June 2010. Retrieved 14 September 2018.
  26. Vesty, Marc (14 June 2010). "Japan 1–0 Cameroon". BBC Sport. Retrieved 8 February 2013.
  27. Fletcher, Paul (19 June 2010). "Cameroon 1–2 Denmark". BBC Sport. Retrieved 8 February 2013.
  28. Courtney, Barrie. "African Nations Cup 2010 – Final Tournament Details". RSSSF. Retrieved 29 November 2020.
  29. "Cameroon names Egypt squad". Eurosport. 18 September 2005. Retrieved 9 December 2020.
  30. "Cameroon and Zambia march on". Al Jazeera. 21 January 2010. Retrieved 9 December 2020.
  31. "Cameroon reach World Cup after beating Tunisia 4–1". France 24. 17 November 2013. Retrieved 9 December 2020.
  32. Okeleji, Oluwashina (27 November 2019). "Cameroon's Pierre Webo gets coaching role in Turkey". BBC Sport. Retrieved 27 November 2019.
  33. Pugmire, Jerome (8 December 2020). "CL game postponed after players walk off over alleged racism". Associated Press. Retrieved 8 December 2020.
  34. "Geremi Njitap: «Achille (Webo) est très choqué»" [Geremi Njitap: "Achille (Webó) is really shocked"]. L'Équipe (in French). 9 December 2020. Retrieved 10 December 2020.
  35. "P. Webó – Trophies". Soccerway. Retrieved 9 June 2017.
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