Nicolas Julio Nkoulou Ndoubena (born 27 March 1990), known as Nicolas Nkoulou, is a Cameroonian professional

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 plays as a defender for Super League Greece club

Aris Aris or ARIS may refer to: People * Aris (surname) Given name * Aris Alexandrou, Greek writer * Aris Brimanis, ice hockey player * Aris Christofellis, Greek male soprano * Aris Gavelas, Greek sprinter * Aris Howard, Former President of the Jama ...

. Nkoulou began his career in the French league with

Monaco Monaco (; ), officially the Principality of Monaco (french: Principauté de Monaco; Ligurian: ; oc, Principat de Mónegue), is a sovereign city-state and microstate on the French Riviera a few kilometres west of the Italian region of Lig ...

, where he spent three years before signing for

Marseille Marseille ( , , ; also spelled in English as Marseilles; oc, Marselha ) is the prefecture of the French department of Bouches-du-Rhône and capital of the Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur region. Situated in the camargue region of southern Fra ...

in 2011. With Marseille, he won his first senior trophy, the Coupe de la Ligue in the 2011–12 season. In 2016, he left Marseille for

Lyon Lyon,, ; Occitan language, Occitan: ''Lion'', hist. ''Lionés'' also spelled in English as Lyons, is the List of communes in France with over 20,000 inhabitants, third-largest city and Urban area (France), second-largest metropolitan area of F ...

, but after a disappointing year he left to join Italian club

Torino Turin ( , Piedmontese: ; it, Torino ) is a city and an important business and cultural centre in Northern Italy. It is the capital city of Piedmont and of the Metropolitan City of Turin, and was the first Italian capital from 1861 to 1865. T ...

, initially on loan but later on a permanent basis. Though initially impressing, he fell out of favour, and left the club in 2021, before signing for English club

Watford Watford () is a town and borough in Hertfordshire, England, 15 miles northwest of Central London, on the River Colne. Initially a small market town, the Grand Junction Canal encouraged the construction of paper-making mills, print works, and ...

Internationally, Nkoulou played 75 times for Cameroon between 2008 and 2017, and decided to retire shortly after winning the

2017 File:2017 Events Collage V2.png, From top left, clockwise: The War Against ISIS at the Battle of Mosul (2016-2017); aftermath of the Manchester Arena bombing; The Solar eclipse of August 21, 2017 ("Great American Eclipse"); North Korea tests a s ...

Africa Cup of Nations, scoring the equalising goal in the

final Final, Finals or The Final may refer to: * Final (competition), the last or championship round of a sporting competition, match, game, or other contest which decides a winner for an event ** Another term for playoffs, describing a sequence of con ...

. He represented Cameroon in two

World Cups A world cup is a global sporting competition in which the participant entities – usually international teams or individuals representing their countries – compete for the title of world champion. The event most associated with the concept i ...

and three Africa Cup of Nations. In September 2022, he was called up to the national team for the first time after 5 years.

Club career

Monaco

Nkoulou began his career at Kadji Sports Academy 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 ...

, the same academy that produced the likes of

Samuel Eto'o Samuel Eto'o Fils (; born 10 March 1981) is a Cameroonian football administrator and former player who is the current president of the Cameroonian Football Federation from 11 December 2021. In his prime, Eto'o was regarded by pundits as one of ...

, Carlos Kameni, and

Eric Djemba-Djemba Eric Daniel Djemba-Djemba (born 4 May 1981) is a Cameroonian former professional footballer who played as a midfielder. He previously played club football in France, England, Qatar, Denmark, Israel, Serbia, Scotland, India and Indonesia. In int ...

. In late 2007, it was announced that he was acquired by the principality-based side

AS Monaco Association Sportive de Monaco Football Club SA, commonly referred to as AS Monaco () or Monaco, is a professional football club based in Monaco that is member of French Football Federation (FFF) and competes in Ligue 1, the top tier of Frenc ...

. He agreed to a three-year professional contract with the club. He spent the latter portion of the 2007–08 season playing with Monaco's CFA squad, before joining the squad for preseason in July 2008, where he was handed the number 3 kit. Nkoulou made two appearances during the pre-season starting their opening friendly match against fellow Ligue 1 side

Toulouse Toulouse ( , ; oc, Tolosa ) is the prefecture of the French department of Haute-Garonne and of the larger region of Occitania. The city is on the banks of the River Garonne, from the Mediterranean Sea, from the Atlantic Ocean and from Pa ...

and also starting against Croatian side NK Zagreb. He made his professional debut on 13 September 2008 in a 2–0 victory over

Lorient Lorient (; ) is a town ('' commune'') and seaport in the Morbihan department of Brittany in western France. History Prehistory and classical antiquity Beginning around 3000 BC, settlements in the area of Lorient are attested by the presen ...

starting the match before being substituted in the 65th minute. Though he made 24 appearances in the 2008–09 season, The 2009–10 season saw Nkoulou to play in defensive midfielder for the most of the season under the new management of

Guy Lacombe Guy Hubert Georges Lacombe (born 12 June 1955) is a French manager (association football), football manager and former professional football player, player. Playing career Lacombe was a member of the French squad that won the gold medal at the ...

and newly signing, Sébastien Puygrenier. As the 2009–10 season progressed, Nkoulou signed a new contract with the club, keeping him until 2012 and was then reverted to central defence. NKoulou also played in the Coupe de France Final, coming on as a substitute for Eduardo Costa in the 111th minute, in a 1–0 loss against PSG and went on to make 23 appearances in the 2009–10 season despite being committed to the African Cup of Nation. In the 2010–11 season, Nkoulou found himself in the transfer speculation and ended up staying at the club despite fallen out with Lacombe. Nkoulou continued remain in the first team, playing in the defensive midfielder position for the most of the season and central defence. Despite suffering from injuries and suspension, Nkoulou finished the 2010–11 season, making 30 appearances. However, following their relegation to Ligue 2, Nkoulou was among key players to be expected to leave the club. His performances with Monaco have led to him being scouted by several prominent European clubs. English club Arsenal, Spanish sides

Sevilla Seville (; es, Sevilla, ) is the capital and largest city of the Spanish autonomous community of Andalusia and the province of Seville. It is situated on the lower reaches of the River Guadalquivir, in the southwest of the Iberian Peninsula ...

and Atlético Madrid and French champions Olympique Lyonnais have all declared their interests in the Cameroonian defender. During his time at AS Monaco, Nkoulou made 78 appearances and has started every match since playing the full 90 minutes in them all. He has yet to score a goal.

Marseille

On 29 June 2011, Nkoulou passed his medical and signed for four years with

for €3.5 million. Marseille and Lyon found themselves competing over their interest signing Nkoulou before he chose Marseille. After missing two matches, due to suspension he received while at Monaco, Nkoulou made his Marseille debut on 14 August 2011, in a 2–2 draw against

Auxerre Auxerre ( , ) is the capital of the Yonne department and the fourth-largest city in Burgundy. Auxerre's population today is about 35,000; the urban area (''aire d'attraction'') comprises roughly 113,000 inhabitants. Residents of Auxerre are r ...

. In the next match against Saint Étienne on 21 August 2011, Nkoulou was involved in an incident with

Florent Sinama Pongolle Florent Stéphane Sinama Pongolle (born 20 October 1984) is a French former professional footballer who played as a forward. He was signed at only 16 by Liverpool, but could never impose himself in the first team. He also spent several seasons ...

. But following the reviewing by the Disciplinary Committee of the LFP, he was received a three match ban. While serving his suspension in the league, he made his Champions League debut on Matchday 1 of the Group–stage, helping a club kept a clean sheet, in a 1–0 win against

Olympiacos Olympiacós Sýndesmos Filáthlon Peiraiós ( el, Ολυμπιακός Σύνδεσμος Φιλάθλων Πειραιώς, Olympic Club of Fans of Piraeus) is a major multi-sport club based in Piraeus, Greece. Olympiacos is parent to a number ...

on 13 September 2011 and went on to play ten Champions League Matches. Eight days later on 21 September 2011, Nkolou made his return to the first team, in a 2–0 win over

Evian Evian ( , ; , stylized as evian) is a French company that bottles and commercialises mineral water from several sources near Évian-les-Bains, on the south shore of Lake Geneva. It produces over 2 billion plastic bottles per year. Today, Evia ...

. His performance throughout October saw him earned the club's player of the month of October. Nkolou continued to remain in the first team for the 2011–12 season despite another suspension (which he got a two match ban against

Dijon Dijon (, , ) (dated) * it, Digione * la, Diviō or * lmo, Digion is the prefecture of the Côte-d'Or department and of the Bourgogne-Franche-Comté region in northeastern France. the commune had a population of 156,920. The earlies ...

) and a knee injury. Despite this, Nkoulou helped the club win against Lyon 1–0 in the final of Coupe de la Ligue, winning the cup for their first piece of silverware since 1981, as well as, being named Man of the Match. After finishing the 2011–12 appearance, making 46 appearances in all competition, Nkoulou was named

Trophées UNFP du football The Trophées UNFP du football are a number of awards given annually by the National Union of Professional Football Players to players playing in France's Ligue 1 and Ligue 2, as well as to managers and referees, the most prestigious one being the ...

's Team of the Year of

2012 File:2012 Events Collage V3.png, From left, clockwise: The passenger cruise ship Costa Concordia lies capsized after the Costa Concordia disaster; Damage to Casino Pier in Seaside Heights, New Jersey as a result of Hurricane Sandy; People gat ...

and was nominated for the Prix Marc-Vivien Foé Award, but finished as runner–up to Younès Belhanda. Nevertheless, Nkoulou was awarded 2011–12 Olympique de Marseille Player of the Season. In the 2012–13 season saw Nkoulou found himself in the transfer speculation when the club began to suffer financial trouble, but stayed at the club and insisting on honouring his contract. Nkoulou was ever–present in the 2012–13 season, having played all the match in the league and scored his first goal for the club, in a 2–1 win against Troyes on 3 March 2013. During the season, Nkoulou suffered a knee ligament injury and was sidelined for weeks, but managed to return to the league. At the end of the 2012–13 season, Nkoulou was named

's Team of the Year of

2013 File:2013 Events Collage V2.png, From left, clockwise: Edward Snowden becomes internationally famous for leaking classified NSA wiretapping information; Typhoon Haiyan kills over 6,000 in the Philippines and Southeast Asia; The Dhaka garment fa ...

for the second time running. Nicolas N'koulou

Prior to the 2013–14 season, Nkoulou stated he was prepared to leave Marseille in the summer, prompting attracted interests from his former club Monaco, who were just promoted back to Ligue 1, and Arsenal. After the club set a higher price tag on him, Nkoulou remained at the club and started a bad start when he conceded a goal, in a 3–1 win over

Guingamp Guingamp (; ) is a commune in the Côtes-d'Armor department in Brittany in northwestern France. With a population of 6,895 as of 2017, Guingamp is one of the smallest towns in Europe to have a top-tier professional football team: En Avant Gui ...

in the opening game of the season. Despite this, Nkoulou redeemed himself soon after to continuously remain in the first team under the new management of

Élie Baup Élie Baup (; born 17 March 1955) is a French football manager and a former footballer who played as a goalkeeper. His last post was the manager of Ligue 1 side Marseille. Managerial career 1994–2009 As the club manager of Bordeaux, Baup wo ...

. On 4 January 2014, Nkoulou extended his contract with Marseille, keeping him until 2016. As the 2013–14 season progressed, Nkoulou suffered a knee injury, which kept him sidelined for one match. After making his return, Nkoulou went on to score two goals later in the season against Saint Étienne and

Sochaux Sochaux () is a commune in the Doubs department in the Bourgogne-Franche-Comté region in eastern France. Geography Sochaux lies east of Montbéliard, and southeast of Paris. Population Inhabitants are known as ''Sochaliens''. Economy S ...

. Nkoulou made 46 appearances and scoring twice in all competitions in the 2013–14 season. Ahead of the 2014–15 season, the club were keen on selling Nkoulou, but following a friendly match against Bari, it appeared hinted that he wanted to stay at the club. His good performance against Guingamp on 23 August 2014 earned him Team of the Week on Matchday 3. Then on 19 October 2014, Nkoulou scored his first goal of the season, in a 2–0 win over

. Two weeks later, on 2 November 2014, Nkoulou scored again, in a 2–1 win over

Lens A lens is a transmissive optical device which focuses or disperses a light beam by means of refraction. A simple lens consists of a single piece of transparent material, while a compound lens consists of several simple lenses (''elements ...

. However, as the 2014–15 season, his appearance was soon restricted to 26 appearances in competition, due to injuries and international commitment with Cameroon. After two months without playing, Nkoulou made his first team return on 12 April 2015, in a 1–0 loss against

Bordeaux Bordeaux ( , ; Gascon oc, Bordèu ; eu, Bordele; it, Bordò; es, Burdeos) is a port city on the river Garonne in the Gironde department, Southwestern France. It is the capital of the Nouvelle-Aquitaine region, as well as the prefect ...

and went on to help the finished the season in the 4th place at two points of a qualification in the Champions League. Ahead of the 2015–16 season, Nkoulou's contract set to expire and haven't renewed his contract, though his future remained undecided. In the 2015–16 season, Nkoulou made his first appearance of the season, having missed through opening game of the season, in a 1–0 loss against Reims on 16 August 2015. In a match against

Lille Lille ( , ; nl, Rijsel ; pcd, Lile; vls, Rysel) is a city in the northern part of France, in French Flanders. On the river Deûle, near France's border with Belgium, it is the capital of the Hauts-de-France region, the prefecture of the N ...

on 29 January 2016, Nkoulou captained Marseille for the first time following

Steve Mandanda Steve Mandanda Mpidi (; born 28 March 1985) is a French professional footballer who plays as a goalkeeper for Ligue 1 club Rennes. Mandanda spent most of his professional career with Marseille, making over 600 appearances across all competition ...

's absence, which they drew 1–1. In a match against Saint-Étienne on 21 February 2016, Nkoulou received a straight red card in a 1–1 draw. In addition to his disciplinary issues, Nkoulou was suspended three times in every

Coupe de France The Coupe de France, formerly known as the Coupe Charles Simon, is the premier knockout cup competition in French football organized by the French Football Federation (FFF). It was first held in 1917 and is open to all amateur and profession ...

matches, Nkoulou started in the Coupe de France Final, which they lost 4–2 against PSG. At the end of the 2015–16 season, the club faced a difficult season with three different managers during the season and finished the league in thirteenth place and finished the season, making 41 appearances in all competition. With his contract expiring at the end of the 2015–16 season, Nkoulou attracted interests around clubs, such as Málaga,

Schalke 04 Fußballclub Gelsenkirchen-Schalke 04 e. V., commonly known as FC Schalke 04 (), Schalke 04 (), or abbreviated as S04 (), is a professional German football and multi-sports club originally from the Schalke district of Gelsenkirchen, North Rhine ...

, Juventus and

Lazio it, Laziale , population_note = , population_blank1_title = , population_blank1 = , demographics_type1 = , demographics1_footnotes = , demographics1_title1 = , demographics1_info1 = , demographics1_title2 ...

. However, on 27 June 2016, Nkoulou began talks with a move to stay in France by joining Lyon.

Lyon

After spending five years at Marseille, with his contract at the club expired, Nkoulou moved to

rivals A rivalry is the state of two people or groups engaging in a lasting competitive relationship. Rivalry is the "against each other" spirit between two competing sides. The relationship itself may also be called "a rivalry", and each participant ...

on a four–year contract on 29 June 2016; coincidentally was the day he joined Marseille. Upon joining the club, Nkoulou stated he joined Lyon to achieve greater things and was given number 3 shirt, which he quoted: ‘’“The No. 3? It is a wink to those close to me, because I am the youngest of three children.”’’ Nkoulou played his first official match for Lyon at the

Trophée des Champions The Trophée des Champions (, ) is a French association football trophy contested in an annual match between the champions of Ligue 1 and the winners of the Coupe de France. It is equivalent to the super cups found in many other countries. His ...

, making his first start, in a 4–1 loss against Paris Saint–Germain. A week later, he made his league debut for the club, in the opening game of the season, in a 3–0 win over Nancy. In his first match against Marseille for the first time, which saw them draw 0–0 on 18 September 2016, Nkoulou received boos from Marseille supporters during the match every time he touched the ball. Around the same time he was competing with Mouctar Diakhaby, Nkoulou's performance soon came under criticism by observers, prompting Manager Bruno Génésio defended him.

Torino

On 5 August 2017, Italian club

announced they had signed Nkoulou on a year-long

loan In finance, a loan is the lending of money by one or more individuals, organizations, or other entities to other individuals, organizations, etc. The recipient (i.e., the borrower) incurs a debt and is usually liable to pay interest on that ...

with an option to purchase. He made his debut on 11 August 2017, in the

Coppa Italia The ("Italy Cup") is an annual knockout cup competition in Italian football organized by the FIGC until the 2009–10 season and the Lega Serie A ever since. History The beginning of the tournament was turbulent, due to the complexity of ...

against

Trapani Trapani ( , ; scn, Tràpani ; lat, Drepanum; grc, Δρέπανον) is a city and municipality (''comune'') on the west coast of Sicily, in Italy. It is the capital of the Province of Trapani. Founded by Elymians, the city is still an imp ...

, won by Torino 7–1. His debut in

Serie A The Serie A (), also called Serie A TIM for national sponsorship with TIM, is a professional league competition for football clubs located at the top of the Italian football league system and the winner is awarded the Scudetto and the Cop ...

took place instead on 20 August, against

Bologna Bologna (, , ; egl, label=Emilian language, Emilian, Bulåggna ; lat, Bononia) is the capital and largest city of the Emilia-Romagna region in Northern Italy. It is the seventh most populous city in Italy with about 400,000 inhabitants and 1 ...

(1–1). He scored his first goal for the club on 2 December, during a 1–1 draw against

Atalanta Atalanta (; grc-gre, Ἀταλάντη, Atalantē) meaning "equal in weight", is a heroine in Greek mythology. There are two versions of the huntress Atalanta: one from Arcadia (region), Arcadia, whose parents were Iasus and Clymene (mythology ...

. At the end of his first season with the club, he was voted by the fans as the best player of Torino in the 2017–18 season. His contract was redeemed by Torino for €3.5 million. On 2 September 2018, he scored his first goal of the 2018–19 season, and the match-winner with a header against

SPAL Società Polisportiva Ars et Labor, commonly known as S.P.A.L. (), is a professional football club based in Ferrara, Emilia-Romagna, Italy. The team plays in Serie B, the second tier of the Italian football league system. Founded in 1907, sinc ...

(1–0). In August 2019, Nkoulou asked to not be selected for Torino's Serie A fixture against

Sassuolo Sassuolo (; egl, label= Modenese, Sasól ) is an Italian town, ''comune'', and industrial centre of the Province of Modena in Emilia-Romagna. Standing on the right bank of the river Secchia some southwest of Modena, the town is best known f ...

, and their

UEFA Europa League The UEFA Europa League (abbreviated as UEL, or sometimes, UEFA EL), formerly the UEFA Cup, is an annual football club competition organised since 1971 by the Union of European Football Associations (UEFA) for eligible European football clubs. ...

play-off The playoffs, play-offs, postseason or finals of a sports league are a competition played after the regular season by the top competitors to determine the league champion or a similar accolade. Depending on the league, the playoffs may be eithe ...

against

Wolverhampton Wanderers Wolverhampton Wanderers Football Club (), commonly known as Wolves, is a professional football club based in Wolverhampton, England, which compete in the . The club has played at Molineux Stadium since moving from Dudley Road in 1889. The club's ...

, with a desire to transfer to

AS Roma ' (''Rome Sport Association''), commonly referred to as Roma (), is a professional Association football, football club based in Rome, Italy. Founded by a merger in 1927, Roma has participated in the top tier of Italian football for all of its ...

. In September, with no transfer taking place, he wrote a letter saying he had decided to "leave the difficult moment of the summer behind me", and apologised to Torino fans, staff, and his teammates. At the end of the 2020–21 season, Nkoulou parted ways with

upon the expiry of his contract.

Watford

After spending time as a

free agent In professional sports, a free agent is a player who is eligible to sign with other clubs or franchises; i.e., not under contract to any specific team. The term is also used in reference to a player who is under contract at present but who is a ...

, on 7 October 2021,

Premier League The Premier League (legal name: The Football Association Premier League Limited) is the highest level of the men's English football league system. Contested by 20 clubs, it operates on a system of promotion and relegation with the English Fo ...

club

announced the signing of Nkoulou on a deal until the end of the season. Following relegation at the end of the 2021–22 season, Nkoulou was released by the club.

Aris

On 23 August 2022, Nkoulou joined Super League Greece club

on a free transfer on a two-year contract.

International career

Nkoulou was included in the Cameroon U-23 squad that participated in the 2008 Summer Olympics. He helped the squad reach the knockout round, where they were eliminated by

Brazil Brazil ( pt, Brasil; ), officially the Federative Republic of Brazil (Portuguese: ), is the largest country in both South America and Latin America. At and with over 217 million people, Brazil is the world's fifth-largest country by area ...

Nkoulou was called up by the

national team A national sports team (commonly known as a national team or a national side) is a team that represents a nation, rather than a particular club or region, in an international sport. The term is most commonly associated with team sports, for exa ...

for the first time on 4 November 2008 He would make his international debut in the senior squad on 19 November 2008 in a friendly against

South Africa South Africa, officially the Republic of South Africa (RSA), is the Southern Africa, southernmost country in Africa. It is bounded to the south by of coastline that stretch along the Atlantic Ocean, South Atlantic and Indian Oceans; to the ...

, which they lost 3–2. Nkoulou selected for the

2010 African Cup of Nations The 2010 Africa Cup of Nations, also known as the Orange Africa Cup of Nations for sponsorship reasons, was the 27th Africa Cup of Nations, the biennial football championship of Africa ( CAF). It was held in Angola, where it began on 10 January 2 ...

by Cameroon National coach

Paul Le Guen Paul Joseph Marie Le Guen (, ; born 1 March 1964) is a French professional football manager and former player. He was most recently the manager of Ligue 2 club Le Havre. During his playing career, Le Guen played as a midfielder, and enjoyed a su ...

and went on to play four times in the cup competitions. Later in 2010, N’Koulou was called up again for the

2010 FIFA World Cup , image = 2010 FIFA World Cup.svg , size = 200px , caption = ''Ke Nako. (Tswana and Sotho for "It's time") Celebrate Africa's Humanity'It's time. Celebrate Africa's Humanity'' (English)''Dis tyd. Vier Afrika se mensd ...

and made his World Cup debut, making his first start and playing 90 minutes, in a 1–0 loss against Japan. N’Koulou played all three matches in the World Cup, as Cameroon were eliminated in the Group Stage. After captain Samuel Eto'o and vice–captain

Eyong Enoh Eyong Tarkang Enoh (born 23 March 1986) is a Cameroonian former professional footballer who last played as a midfielder for Olympiakos Nicosia in the Cypriot First Division and for the Cameroon national team. During the span of his career, En ...

were suspended for five and two matches respectively by Cameroon Football Federation for their action of boycotting a friendly match against

Algeria ) , image_map = Algeria (centered orthographic projection).svg , map_caption = , image_map2 = , capital = Algiers , coordinates = , largest_city = capital , relig ...

, Nkoulou was appointed as captain of Cameroon on a temporary basis and captained his first national match, in a 1–0 win over

Guinea-Bissau Guinea-Bissau ( ; pt, Guiné-Bissau; ff, italic=no, 𞤘𞤭𞤲𞤫 𞤄𞤭𞤧𞤢𞥄𞤱𞤮, Gine-Bisaawo, script=Adlm; Mandinka: ''Gine-Bisawo''), officially the Republic of Guinea-Bissau ( pt, República da Guiné-Bissau, links=no ), ...

. Following Eto’o refused to return to the national squad in late-August 2012, The Cameroon Football Federation stripped him of his captaincy in response and Nkoulou was appointed as a new captain of Cameroon. In the

FIFA World Cup The FIFA World Cup, often simply called the World Cup, is an international association football competition contested by the senior men's national teams of the members of the ' ( FIFA), the sport's global governing body. The tournament ha ...

, Nkoulou was among 23 players to be included for the squad. Nkoulou played all three matches and retained his captaincy, as Cameroon struggled in the World Cup after losing three matches that saw them eliminated in the World Cup. The following year, Nkoulou was called up into the squad by the national team for the African Cup of Nations. Two years later on 26 March 2016, Nkoulou scored his first international goal, in a 2–2 draw against South Africa, the team he made his national debut eight years ago. His equalizing goal against Egypt in the 2017 Africa Cup of Nations Final is the first goal to be conceded by Egypt in the Africa Cup of Nations finals since

Mengistu Worku Mengistu Worku (Amharic: መንግስቱ ወርቁ; 1940 – 16 December 2010) was an Ethiopian footballer, recognised as one of the best Ethiopian footballers in history with Luciano Vassalo and Ydnekatchew Tessema. He is best known for his ...

's goal in the

1962 African Cup of Nations The 1962 African Cup of Nations was the third edition of the Africa Cup of Nations, the soccer championship of Africa ( CAF). It was hosted by Ethiopia. Nine countries entered the competition, including the reigning champions Egypt, meaning for t ...

final.

Career statistics

Club

International goals

:''Scores and results list Cameroon's goal tally first.''

Honours

Marseille * Coupe de la Ligue: 2011–12 Cameroon * Africa Cup of Nations:

Individual * Ligue 1 Team of the Year: 2011–12, 2012–13

References

External links

*
LFP Profile

Profile on AS Monaco Website
{{DEFAULTSORT:Nkoulou, Nicolas Living people 1990 births Footballers from Yaoundé Association football defenders Cameroonian footballers Cameroon international footballers Cameroonian expatriate footballers Footballers at the 2008 Summer Olympics Olympic footballers of Cameroon 2010 Africa Cup of Nations players 2010 FIFA World Cup players 2014 FIFA World Cup players 2015 Africa Cup of Nations players 2017 Africa Cup of Nations players 2022 FIFA World Cup players Africa Cup of Nations-winning players Kadji Sports Academy players AS Monaco FC players Olympique de Marseille players Olympique Lyonnais players Torino F.C. players Watford F.C. players Aris Thessaloniki F.C. players Ligue 1 players Serie A players Premier League players Super League Greece players Expatriate footballers in Monaco Expatriate footballers in France Expatriate footballers in Italy Expatriate footballers in England Expatriate footballers in Greece Cameroonian expatriate sportspeople in Monaco Cameroonian expatriate sportspeople in France Cameroonian expatriate sportspeople in Italy Cameroonian expatriate sportspeople in England Cameroonian expatriate sportspeople in Greece