Cyrille Thomas Makanaky (born 28 June 1965) is a Cameroonian retired

footballer A football player or footballer is a sportsperson who plays one of the different types of football. The main types of football are association football, American football, Canadian football, Australian rules football, Gaelic football, rugby ...

who played as an

attacking midfielder A midfielder is an outfield position in association football. Midfielders may play an exclusively defensive role, breaking up attacks, and are in that case known as defensive midfielders. As central midfielders often go across boundarie ...

Club career

Makanaky was born in

Douala Douala is the largest city in Cameroon and its economic capital. It is also the capital of Cameroon's Littoral Region. Home to Central Africa's largest port and its major international airport, Douala International Airport (DLA), it is the com ...

. After impressing at amateur level in

France France (), officially the French Republic ( ), is a country primarily located in Western Europe. It also comprises of overseas regions and territories in the Americas and the Atlantic, Pacific and Indian Oceans. Its metropolitan area ...

, with FC Saint-Leu and

Gazélec Ajaccio Gazélec Football Club Ajaccio ( co, Gazélec Football Club Aiacciu), commonly referred to as GFC Ajaccio, GFCA, Gazélec Ajaccio or simply Gazélec (), is a French football club from Ajaccio, Corsica. Founded in 1960, Gazélec plays in the Champ ...

, he represented, with little impact but always in Ligue 1, SC Toulon (twice) and

RC Lens Racing Club de Lens (, commonly referred to as RC Lens or simply Lens) is a French professional football club based in the northern city of Lens in the Pas-de-Calais department. Its nickname, ''les sang et or'' (''the blood and gold''), co ...

. In 1990, Makanaky moved to

Spain , image_flag = Bandera de España.svg , image_coat = Escudo de España (mazonado).svg , national_motto = ''Plus ultra'' (Latin)(English: "Further Beyond") , national_anthem = (English: "Royal March") , i ...

and remained in the country for three years, playing in Segunda División for CD Málaga and

Villarreal CF Villarreal Club de Fútbol, S.A.D. ( ca-valencia, Vila-real Club de Futbol, S.A.D.), usually abbreviated to Villarreal CF or simply Villarreal, is a professional football club based in Villarreal, in the Castellón province of eastern Spain, ...

. His second year, whilst at the

Andalusia Andalusia (, ; es, Andalucía ) is the southernmost autonomous community in Peninsular Spain. It is the most populous and the second-largest autonomous community in the country. It is officially recognised as a "historical nationality". The t ...

ns, finished in relegation, and the club folded soon afterwards. Until his retirement at the age of 32, Makanaky also played in

Israel Israel (; he, יִשְׂרָאֵל, ; ar, إِسْرَائِيل, ), officially the State of Israel ( he, מְדִינַת יִשְׂרָאֵל, label=none, translit=Medīnat Yīsrāʾēl; ), is a country in Western Asia. It is situated ...

with

Maccabi Tel Aviv FC Maccabi Tel Aviv Football Club ( he, מועדון כדורגל מכבי תל אביב; ''Moadon Kaduregel Maccabi Tel Aviv'') is an Israeli football club from Tel Aviv and part of the Maccabi Tel Aviv Sport Club. Founded in 1906 in Jaffa a ...

Ecuador Ecuador ( ; ; Quechua: ''Ikwayur''; Shuar: ''Ecuador'' or ''Ekuatur''), officially the Republic of Ecuador ( es, República del Ecuador, which literally translates as "Republic of the Equator"; Quechua: ''Ikwadur Ripuwlika''; Shuar: ' ...

for

Barcelona Sporting Club Barcelona Sporting Club () is an Ecuadorian sports club based in Guayaquil, known best for its professional football team. Internationally known as Barcelona de Ecuador, in Ecuador it is simply referred as Barcelona, El Idolo (BSC) or Barce. T ...

– two spells, winning the

national league The National League of Professional Baseball Clubs, known simply as the National League (NL), is the older of two leagues constituting Major League Baseball (MLB) in the United States and Canada, and the world's oldest extant professional team ...

on both occasions – and France with former side Gazélec.

International career

Makanaky appeared in two Africa Cup of Nations with the Cameroon national team. In the 1988 edition, held in

Morocco Morocco (),, ) officially the Kingdom of Morocco, is the westernmost country in the Maghreb region of North Africa. It overlooks the Mediterranean Sea to the north and the Atlantic Ocean to the west, and has land borders with Algeria t ...

, he scored the game's only goal, helping defeat the hosts in the semifinals and eventually winning the trophy. Makanaky also represented the nation at the 1990 FIFA World Cup in

Italy Italy ( it, Italia ), officially the Italian Republic, ) or the Republic of Italy, is a country in Southern Europe. It is located in the middle of the Mediterranean Sea, and its territory largely coincides with the homonymous geographical ...

, playing all five matches (two complete) as the ''Lions Indomptables'' reached the quarterfinals. In popular culture "Makanaki" is a nickname coined from Makanaky's name and was commonly used in some Yoruba speaking parts of western Nigeria after the exploits of the Cameroun National Team in the FIFA 1990 World Cup. The ruggedness and flamboyance of Makanaky led to the use of the Nigerianized version of the name to be used to refer to a skillful and rugged person.

External links

Racing Lens archives
* * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Makanaky, Cyrille 1965 births Living people Sportspeople from Douala Cameroonian footballers Association football midfielders Ligue 1 players Ligue 2 players Gazélec Ajaccio players SC Toulon players RC Lens players Segunda División players CD Málaga footballers Villarreal CF players Israeli Premier League players Maccabi Tel Aviv F.C. players Ecuadorian Serie A players Barcelona S.C. footballers Cameroon international footballers 1990 FIFA World Cup players 1988 African Cup of Nations players 1990 African Cup of Nations players 1992 African Cup of Nations players Africa Cup of Nations-winning players Cameroonian expatriate footballers Expatriate footballers in France Expatriate footballers in Spain Expatriate footballers in Israel Expatriate footballers in Ecuador Cameroonian expatriate sportspeople in France Cameroonian expatriate sportspeople in Spain Cameroonian expatriate sportspeople in Israel Cameroonian expatriate sportspeople in Ecuador