Roudolphe Douala M'bela (born 25 September 1978), known as Douala, is a Cameroonian former 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 ...
.
Mainly a
winger he could also operate as a
forward, and played professionally in five countries, mainly in Portugal. He amassed
Primeira Liga totals of 213 games and 34 goals over the course of nine seasons, notably representing in the competition
Sporting (three years),
Boavista and
União de Leiria
União Desportiva de Leiria, commonly known as União de Leiria (), is a Portuguese football club based in Leiria, central Portugal. Founded on 6 June 1966, it currently plays in the Campeonato de Portugal, holding home matches at Estádio Dr. ...
(two apiece).
Douala appeared for the
Cameroon national team at the
2006 Africa Cup of Nations.
Club career
Douala 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 ...
. He holds Cameroonian and French nationalities.
He started his professional career at
AS Saint-Étienne but did not make any
Ligue 2 appearances for the French club, moving to
Portugal
Portugal, officially the Portuguese Republic ( pt, República Portuguesa, links=yes ), is a country whose mainland is located on the Iberian Peninsula of Southwestern Europe, and whose territory also includes the Atlantic archipelagos of ...
when he was 20 and signing with
Boavista FC.
After two loans, at
Gil Vicente F.C.
Gil Vicente Futebol Clube (), commonly known as Gil Vicente, founded in 1924, is a Portuguese football club that plays in Barcelos. It competes in the Primeira Liga, the top division of football in the country, and it is named after the Portugues ...
and
U.D. Leiria
União Desportiva de Leiria, commonly known as União de Leiria (), is a Portuguese football club based in Leiria, central Portugal. Founded on 6 June 1966, it currently plays in the Campeonato de Portugal, holding home matches at Estádio Dr. ...
(where he first made an impact in the
Primeira Liga championship), Douala moved to
Sporting Clube de Portugal, scoring five league goals in
his debut season while also helping the ''Lions'' to
the campaign's
UEFA Cup
A cup is an open-top used to hold hot or cold liquids for pouring or drinking; while mainly used for drinking, it also can be used to store solids for pouring (e.g., sugar, flour, grains, salt). Cups may be made of glass, metal, china, clay ...
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 ...
, notably scoring against
Middlesbrough
Middlesbrough ( ) is a town on the southern bank of the River Tees in North Yorkshire, England. It is near the North York Moors national park. It is the namesake and main town of its local borough council area.
Until the early 1800s, the a ...
in a 3–2 away win. Never an undisputed starter, however, he would be loaned for
2006–07 to England's
Portsmouth
Portsmouth ( ) is a port and city in the ceremonial county of Hampshire in southern England. The city of Portsmouth has been a unitary authority since 1 April 1997 and is administered by Portsmouth City Council.
Portsmouth is the most dens ...
on the very last day of the summer
transfer window
A transfer window is the period during the year in which a football club can transfer players from other playing staff into their playing staff. Such a transfer is completed by registering the player into the new club through FIFA. "Transfer wi ...
, with a view to a permanent signing.
Speculation during the 2007 winter window had linked Douala with a move away from the club, with the player reportedly frustrated at his lack of first team opportunities at
Fratton Park. A transfer never materialized, however, and he revealed that "On the last day of the transfer window two clubs were calling me all day, but I said 'I want to stay'".
Douala returned to Sporting when his loan ended and, on 14 July 2007, rejoined old club Saint-Étienne for an undisclosed fee. After only
one season where he appeared sparingly, he left for
Asteras Tripoli F.C. in Greece. A fruitless spell soon followed and, after agreeing a release from his contract, he signed with English club
Plymouth Argyle on 22 March 2009, for the remainder of the
2008–09 campaign, making his debut as a
substitute in their 4–0 home win against
Coventry City
Coventry City Football Club is a professional association football club based in Coventry, West Midlands, England. The team currently compete in the Championship, the second tier of the English football league system. The club is nicknamed t ...
on 11 April; however, he was unsuccessful in securing a long-term deal, and was released.
On 15 March 2010, 31-year-old Douala moved teams and countries again, signing with
Belgium
Belgium, ; french: Belgique ; german: Belgien officially the Kingdom of Belgium, is a country in Northwestern Europe. The country is bordered by the Netherlands to the north, Germany to the east, Luxembourg to the southeast, France to th ...
's
Lierse SK,
Twee nieuwe spelers en gesprekken over contractverlengingen (Two new players in contract negotiations)
Lierse SK, 15 March 2010 (in Dutch) and the club returned to the Pro League at the season's end, with the player contributing with one goal.
International career
Douala earned 17 caps
Caps are flat headgear.
Caps or CAPS may also refer to:
Science and technology Computing
* CESG Assisted Products Service, provided by the U.K. Government Communications Headquarters
* Composite Application Platform Suite, by Java Caps, a Ja ...
for Cameroon
Cameroon (; french: Cameroun, ff, Kamerun), officially the Republic of Cameroon (french: République du Cameroun, links=no), is a country in west-central Africa. It is bordered by Nigeria to the west and north; Chad to the northeast; the C ...
, during five years. He participated at the 2006 Africa Cup of Nations, helping the national team reach the quarter-final stage.
International goals
Honours
Club
Sporting
*UEFA Cup
A cup is an open-top used to hold hot or cold liquids for pouring or drinking; while mainly used for drinking, it also can be used to store solids for pouring (e.g., sugar, flour, grains, salt). Cups may be made of glass, metal, china, clay ...
: Runner-up 2004–05
Individual
* Primeira Liga: Player of the Month March 2004
References
External links
*
*
*
*
*
Biography at Anciens Verts
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Douala, Roudolphe
1978 births
Living people
Footballers from Douala
Cameroonian men's footballers
People with acquired French citizenship
French men's footballers
Men's association football wingers
Ligue 1 players
AS Saint-Étienne players
Primeira Liga players
Boavista F.C. players
C.D. Aves players
Gil Vicente F.C. players
U.D. Leiria players
Sporting CP footballers
Premier League players
English Football League players
Portsmouth F.C. players
Plymouth Argyle F.C. players
Super League Greece players
Asteras Tripolis F.C. players
Belgian Pro League players
Challenger Pro League players
Lierse S.K. players
Cameroon men's international footballers
Cameroonian expatriate men's footballers
Expatriate men's footballers in France
Expatriate men's footballers in Portugal
Expatriate men's footballers in England
Expatriate men's footballers in Greece
Expatriate men's footballers in Belgium
Cameroonian expatriate sportspeople in France
Cameroonian expatriate sportspeople in Portugal
Cameroonian expatriate sportspeople in England
Cameroonian expatriate sportspeople in Belgium