Joël Dieudonné Martin Epalle Newaka (born 20 February 1978) is a Cameroonian

football Football is a family of team sports that involve, to varying degrees, kick (football), kicking a football (ball), ball to score a goal (sports), goal. Unqualified, football (word), the word ''football'' generally means the form of football t ...

manager and former player who manages Val d'Europe FC. He mainly played as a right midfielder, but throughout his career he also played as a second striker, more noticeably during his first spell at Iraklis. He was born in Matomb, Cameroon and played youth football in Cameroonian club Union Douala, the team for which he made his senior debut. After his spell in Cameroon, in 1998, he moved to Greece where he played football for several clubs, including Ethnikos,

Panachaiki Panachaiki G.E. (Greek: Παναχαϊκή Γυμναστική Ένωση, ''Panachaiki Gymnastiki Enosi'', "Pan- Achaean Gymnastic Union") is a Greek multi-sport club based in the city of Patras, Greece. The history of Panachaiki began in 1891, ...

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 Konstantinidis, Greek architect * ...

, Panathinaikos and Iraklis in a time span of years. Subsequently, in January 2007, he moved to

Bundesliga The Bundesliga (; ), sometimes referred to as the Fußball-Bundesliga () or 1. Bundesliga (), is a professional association football league in Germany and the highest level of the German football league system. The Bundesliga comprises 18 teams ...

outfit

VfL Bochum Verein für Leibesübungen Bochum 1848 Fußballgemeinschaft, commonly referred to as VfL Bochum (), is a Football in Germany, German professional association football club based in the city of Bochum, North Rhine-Westphalia. They currently play ...

where he played for years. After a brief stay at Azerbaijani club

FK Baku FC Baku (), founded as Dinamo Baku in 1997, was an Azerbaijani football club based in Baku that had been an amateur club since 2016. Prior to that, Baku played 18 seasons in the Azerbaijan Premier League, winning the championship twice and the N ...

, in January 2011 he returned to Greece to have a second spell at Iraklis. Epalle was Iraklis' top-scorer for the 2005–06 season. Started at the end of March 2012, he made his first appearance and play for

Sarawak FA Sarawak FA State Football Team () was a football team which represented the Malaysian region (formerly state) of Sarawak from 1974. It was one of the state teams of the Malaysian football structure. The team's home matches used to be played a ...

alongside his fellow Cameroon friend, Guy Bwele. Epalle won 31 caps for

Cameroon Cameroon, officially the Republic of Cameroon, is a country in Central Africa. It shares boundaries with Nigeria to the west and north, Chad to the northeast, the Central African Republic to the east, and Equatorial Guinea, Gabon, and the R ...

. He was a member of the

side that won the gold medal in the 2000 Summer Olympics football tournament. Epalle was also a member of the Cameroon squad that won the

2002 African Cup of Nations The 2002 African Cup of Nations was the 23rd edition of the Africa Cup of Nations, the association football championship of Africa ( CAF). It was hosted by Mali. Just like in 2000, the field of sixteen teams was split into four groups of four. Ca ...

Club career

Early career

He began his career in his local team called Union Douala.

Ethnikos

Epalle signed for Greek club Ethnikos in December 1997. Until the end of the season Epalle played in 16 matches for the club of

Piraeus Piraeus ( ; ; , Ancient: , Katharevousa: ) is a port city within the Athens urban area ("Greater Athens"), in the Attica region of Greece. It is located southwest of Athens city centre along the east coast of the Saronic Gulf in the Ath ...

. In his second season for the club, Epalle continued appearing regularly, totalling 23 matches, not managing to help his club avoid relegation. In the

Beta Ethniki The Football League () was the second highest professional football league in Greece since its inception in 1962 as ''Beta Ethniki'' and until 2019. It then served as a third tier after the creation of the Super League 2 as the new second tier ...

Epalle managed to score his first goal for Ethnikos in a match against

Apollon Kalamarias Apollon Kalamarias (Greek: Απόλλων Καλαμαριάς) is a Greek sports club from Kalamaria, a suburb of Thessaloniki. It was founded in 1926. The club is named after Apollo, the mythical Greek god. Its colors are red and black. Histor ...

. He managed to score two more, before leaving the club during the winter transfer window.

Panachaiki

During the winter transfer window of the 1999-00 season Epalle signed for

. He signed a two-year contract on a free transfer, on 26 January 2000, after gaining his freedom from Ethnikos, due to the club's debt to him. Epalle debuted for Panachaiki on 29 January 2000, in a 0–2 home win against

Olympiacos Olympiacós Sýndesmos Filáthlon Peiraiós (, Olympic Association of Fans of Piraeus) is a major multi-sport club based in Piraeus, Greece. Olympiacos is parent to a number of different competitive departments which participate in football, ...

. In his first season in

Patras Patras (; ; Katharevousa and ; ) is Greece's List of cities in Greece, third-largest city and the regional capital and largest city of Western Greece, in the northern Peloponnese, west of Athens. The city is built at the foot of Mount Panachaiko ...

Epalle featured in 15 league matches and scored two goals. Epalle played for Panachaiki for almost two years and totalled three goals out of 44 appearances.

Aris

Epalle left them for Aris Saloniki.

Panathinaikos

After being released from Aris, Epalle signed a four-year contract for Greek club Panathinaikos in July 2003, stating his ambition to win trophies for Panathinaikos. Epalle made his debut for Panathinaikos in the first round of the 2003–04 season, as he was in the starting lineup in Panathinaikos' 1–0 home win against Skoda Xanthi. He scored his first goal for Panathinaikos in a 6–3 home win against Panionios for the fifteenth round of the 2003–04 season. Until the end of the season Epalle appeared in 15 league matches scoring one goal. He also played his first match in a European competition as he came in at halftime of a 5–0 away defeat against

Manchester United Manchester United Football Club, commonly referred to as Man United (often stylised as Man Utd) or simply United, is a professional association football, football club based in Old Trafford (area), Old Trafford, Greater Manchester, Engl ...

. In the next season Epalle did not get any chances in the league, and he only appeared in two Champions League matches. On 7 January 2005, Epalle was released by Panathinaikos to empty a foreign player's spot, so the club would be able to sign Brazilian defensive

midfielder In the sport of association football, a midfielder takes an Glossary of association football terms#O, outfield position primarily in the middle of the pitch. Midfielders may play an exclusively defensive role, breaking up attacks, and are in t ...

Anderson de Lima Freitas.

Iraklis

Briefly after his release Iraklis decided to sign him.

VfL Bochum

In January 2007, Epalle signed a -year contract with

. The transfer fee was €600,000. Epalle debuted for VfL Bochum in a home match against

Mainz Mainz (; #Names and etymology, see below) is the capital and largest city of the German state of Rhineland-Palatinate, and with around 223,000 inhabitants, it is List of cities in Germany by population, Germany's 35th-largest city. It lies in ...

. He played in the whole match but Mainz managed to win the match by 1–0 in a close encounter. In the next match Epalle was once again a starter and he helped Bochum to get an away 0–0 draw from German giants FC Bayern. Epalle's first major contribution to the team came in a match against

Arminia Bielefeld DSC Arminia Bielefeld (; full name: ; commonly known as Arminia Bielefeld (), also known as ''Die Arminen'' or ''Die Blauen'' ), or just Arminia (), is a German sports club from Bielefeld, North Rhine-Westphalia. Arminia is most well known as ...

. He dribbled in the centre of the field before passing the ball towards Gekas to help him score the second goal of their team in what was meant to be a 3–1 away win for Bochum. In the match Epalle scored his first goal for Bochum. A corner was taken by his teammate Misimović, an

Alemannia Aachen Aachener Turn- und Sportverein Alemannia 1900 e. V., short Alemannia Aachen (), is a German football club from the western city of Aachen, North Rhine-Westphalia. A long-term fixture of the country's second division, Alemannia enjoyed a three- ...

defender poorly cleared the ball, and Epalle took advantage of the loose ball to score his team's second goal, in a match that finished 2–2. Epalle continued showing his scoring abilities, as he send the ball to settle in the net of

Hannover 96 Hannoverscher Sportverein von 1896, commonly referred to as Hannover 96 (), is a German professional association football, football club based in the city of Hanover, Lower Saxony. They played in the Bundesliga for a total of 30 years between 19 ...

, during a count-attack of his team, to make the score 2–0, that was also the final score of the match. He also proved himself to be highly effective in front of the goal in an away match against

Eintracht Frankfurt Eintracht Frankfurt e.V. () is a German professional sports club based in Frankfurt, Hesse. It is best known for its football club, which was founded on 8 March 1899. The club currently plays in the Bundesliga, the top tier of the German footb ...

by scoring twice. His first goal was a powerful effort from just outside the area in the 58th minute of the match and second was scored in the 69th minute after an assist by Gekas. In his first season for Bochum Epalle played in all 17

matches in the second round of the 2006–07 campaign (all as a starter), scored four goals and handed three assists to his teammates. In the opening stages of the 2008–09 season Epalle was forced to miss several matches due to a toe injury. He was able to make his come back, in a 0–0 home draw against

Werder Bremen Sportverein Werder Bremen von 1899 e. V. (), commonly known as Werder Bremen, Werder or simply Bremen, is a German professional sports club based in Bremen. Founded on 4 February 1899, Werder are best known for their professional association foo ...

, after replacing the injured Christian Fuchs in the 42nd minute. On 11 June 2010, Bochum announced that the contract of Epalle would not be extended beyond its original expiry date on 30 June 2010. During his spell at Bochum he became a firm favorite amongst his teammates and the club's fans due to his hard-working style of play and the trademark back-flip celebration of his goals.

FK Baku

In the summer of 2010, Epalle signed a contract with

Azerbaijan Premier League The Azerbaijan Premier League (), also known as Misli Premyer Liqası for sponsorship reasons, is a professional association football league in Azerbaijan and the highest level of the Azerbaijani football league system. It is contested by twelve ...

outfit

, to meet again with Winfried Schäfer, his former manager for the Indomitable Lions. His first game for FK Baku was on 15 July, for the second qualifying round of

UEFA Europa League The UEFA Europa League (UEL), usually known simply as the Europa League, is an annual association football, football club competition organised since 1971 by the UEFA, Union of European Football Associations (UEFA) for eligible European footb ...

, against Budućnost of

Montenegro , image_flag = Flag of Montenegro.svg , image_coat = Coat of arms of Montenegro.svg , coa_size = 80 , national_motto = , national_anthem = () , image_map = Europe-Mont ...

. Epalle was suspended for that match, as he was sent off in an Iraklis match four years ago against

Wisła Kraków Towarzystwo Sportowe Wisła Kraków Spółka Akcyjna, commonly referred to as Wisła Kraków (), is a Polish professional football club based in Kraków. They currently compete in the I liga, the second level of Polish football league system, ...

, and due to this Budućnost gained a 3–0 default win, in a match they had originally lost 2–1. Epalle was handed a further two-match suspension. He made his league debut for his new club on 22 August in a 2–1 home win against Gabala. He was substituted in the 83rd minute of the match for Ibrahim Kargbo. The next match he featured, was a 1–1 home draw against

Ganja ''Ganja'' (, ; ) is one of the oldest and most commonly used synonyms for cannabis flower, specifically marijuana or hashish. Its usage in English dates to before 1689. Etymology ''Ganja'' is borrowed from Hindi (, IPA: �aːɲd͡ʒa� ...

on 12 September. In November his agent stated that Epalle was not happy with the lifestyle of Azerbaijan and with the situation in Azerbaijani football. The main reasons for that reaction was the low attendance of Azerbaijani Premier League and the fact that he could do nothing besides training and staying in his hotel room. His agent also declared Epalle's desire to return in the Greek Superleague for Iraklis. He played again on 13 November coming in as a substitute for Aleksandar Šolić in the 78th minute, in a match that FK Baku won 2–0. In the next match against MOIK Baku he came in as an 84th-minute substitute, and he managed to score a goal in the 88th minute, his first and only goal for FK Baku. In his short spell for FK Baku Epalle totally played in ten matches and scored one goal.

Iraklis

On 18 January 2011, Epalle signed a two-and-a-half-year contract with Iraklis. He made his first appearance, in his second spell for the club, in a 0–0 home draw against Kerkyra, as he came in, to replace Javier Robles, in the 55th minute of the match.

Sarawak FA

On 2 April 2012, Epalle officially signed with

. On 24 March 2012, he made his first appearance with Sarawak FA against

Malaysia national football team The Malaysia national football team () represents Malaysia in international association football, football and is governed by the Football Association of Malaysia. The national team is recognised by FIFA as the successor of the defunct Malaya ...

in a friendly match at State Stadium, Kuching. The match ended with draw 1–1. Epalle scored the equalizer. His official league debut, in the game against Kelantan FA on 7 April 2012, saw Epalle fouled and he received a free-kick in the 18th minute which led to a goal by Guy Bwele in the 1–1 draw. His first goal for Sarawak was scored against

Kuala Lumpur FA Kuala Lumpur City Football Club, known simply as KL City FC, is a Malaysian professional association football, football club based in Kuala Lumpur. The club competes in the Malaysia Super League, the top level of Football in Malaysia, Malaysia ...

, an equaliser in a 1–1 draw on 4 May 2012.

International career

Epalle was capped with

and was a participant at the

2000 Olympic Games The 2000 Summer Olympics, officially the Games of the XXVII Olympiad, officially branded as Sydney 2000, and also known as the Games of the New Millennium, were an international multi-sport event held from 15 September to 1 October ...

and at the

2002 FIFA World Cup The 2002 FIFA World Cup, also branded as Korea/Japan 2002, was the 17th FIFA World Cup, the quadrennial Association football, football world championship for List of men's national association football teams, men's national teams organized by ...

. So far, he gained 31 caps with Cameroon and scored two goals. His first cap for Cameroon was on 26 November 1995, in a match against

Gabon Gabon ( ; ), officially the Gabonese Republic (), is a country on the Atlantic coast of Central Africa, on the equator, bordered by Equatorial Guinea to the northwest, Cameroon to the north, the Republic of the Congo to the east and south, and ...

Libreville Libreville (; ) is the capital and largest city of Gabon, located on the Gabon Estuary. Libreville occupies of the northwestern province of Estuaire Province, Estuaire. Libreville is also a port on the Gabon Estuary, near the Gulf of Guinea. A ...

for ''Bellier Africa Tournament''. His debut was made while aged 17 years and 283, making him the tenth youngest player to gain a full cap for Cameroon at that time (16th nowadays).

2000 Summer Olympics football tournament

Epalle played in the opening match of Cameroon, coming in as a substitute in the 78th minute for Serge Branco, in a match that his team won by a 3–2 scoreline. He started the next match against

United States The United States of America (USA), also known as the United States (U.S.) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It is a federal republic of 50 U.S. state, states and a federal capital district, Washington, D.C. The 48 ...

, a 1–1 draw, but he was substituted by Daniel Kome in the 65th minute, just after the United States team scored its goal. He was benched in the two next matches, a 1–1 draw against the

Czech Republic The Czech Republic, also known as Czechia, and historically known as Bohemia, is a landlocked country in Central Europe. The country is bordered by Austria to the south, Germany to the west, Poland to the northeast, and Slovakia to the south ...

. The situation did not change in the quarter-final match against

Brazil Brazil, officially the Federative Republic of Brazil, is the largest country in South America. It is the world's List of countries and dependencies by area, fifth-largest country by area and the List of countries and dependencies by population ...

, a match that Cameroon won 2–1 after extra time. He featured again in the semi-final, a 1–2 win over

Chile Chile, officially the Republic of Chile, is a country in western South America. It is the southernmost country in the world and the closest to Antarctica, stretching along a narrow strip of land between the Andes, Andes Mountains and the Paci ...

, as he came in to replace Modeste Mbami in the 65th minute. In the final, against

Spain Spain, or the Kingdom of Spain, is a country in Southern Europe, Southern and Western Europe with territories in North Africa. Featuring the Punta de Tarifa, southernmost point of continental Europe, it is the largest country in Southern Eur ...

he came in as a substitute in the 91st minute to replace Serge Branco for the extra-time. The score was 2–2 after extra-time and Cameroon finally won 5–3 in the penalty shoot-out to be named Olympic gold medallists.

2008 Africa Cup of Nations

Epalle was a starter in the opening match of the tournament for the "Indomitable Lions", a 4–2 loss against defending champions

Egypt Egypt ( , ), officially the Arab Republic of Egypt, is a country spanning the Northeast Africa, northeast corner of Africa and Western Asia, southwest corner of Asia via the Sinai Peninsula. It is bordered by the Mediterranean Sea to northe ...

. He was an unused substitute in Cameroon's 5–1 win against

Zambia Zambia, officially the Republic of Zambia, is a landlocked country at the crossroads of Central Africa, Central, Southern Africa, Southern and East Africa. It is typically referred to being in South-Central Africa or Southern Africa. It is bor ...

, but he reappeared in the final match of the group stage, a 3–0 win against

Sudan Sudan, officially the Republic of the Sudan, is a country in Northeast Africa. It borders the Central African Republic to the southwest, Chad to the west, Libya to the northwest, Egypt to the north, the Red Sea to the east, Eritrea and Ethiopi ...

. In the quarter-final against

Tunisia Tunisia, officially the Republic of Tunisia, is a country in the Maghreb region of North Africa. It is bordered by Algeria to the west and southwest, Libya to the southeast, and the Mediterranean Sea to the north and east. Tunisia also shares m ...

he came in as a substitute in the 62nd minute for Emana to help his team win the match, as he assisted Mbia, with a flick-on, to score the match decider in extra time. In the semi-final, Epalle came in for Idrissou in the start of second half to help his team advance to the final. In the final Epalle was at the starting eleven, but he was substituted, in the 65th minute by M'bami, in a match that saw Egypt crowned

Africa Cup of Nations The Africa Cup of Nations, commonly abbreviated as AFCON and officially known as the TotalEnergies Africa Cup of Nations for sponsorship reasons, is the main biennial international men's association football competition in Africa. It is s ...

champions for a sixth time.

Coaching career

Ahead of the 2014–15 season, Epalle was appointed manager of French Regional club Val d'Europe FC. In September 2018 it was confirmed, that Epalle beside his manager position at Val d'Europe FC, also had been appointed the assistant manager of

Cameroon national football team The Cameroon national football team (French language, French: ''Équipe du Cameroun de football''), also known as the Indomitable Lions (French: ''les lions indomptables''), represents Cameroon in men's international Association football, footb ...

under newly appointed manager

Clarence Seedorf Clarence Clyde Seedorf (; born 1 April 1976) is a Dutch former professional Association football, football manager and player. He is regarded by many as one of the greatest midfielders of all time. He is currently working primarily remotely as ...

alongside

Patrick Kluivert Patrick Stephan Kluivert (; born 1 July 1976) is a Dutch football coach and former player who is currently the head coach of the Indonesia national team. As a player, he played as a striker for Ajax, Barcelona and the Netherlands national te ...

and Jean-Alain Boumsong.

Personal life

Epalle is married to Mari, with whom he has two daughters Marilyn and Zonti, both born in Greece and a son born in

Paris Paris () is the Capital city, capital and List of communes in France with over 20,000 inhabitants, largest city of France. With an estimated population of 2,048,472 residents in January 2025 in an area of more than , Paris is the List of ci ...

. He is also a cousin of his fellow Cameroon international

Timothée Atouba Timothée Atouba Essama (born 17 February 1982) is a Cameroonian former professional footballer who played as a left back. Club career Early years Born in Douala, Cameroon, Atouba grew up in a family with 13 children. He started playing foo ...

Honours

Panathinaikos *

Alpha Ethniki The Super League Greece 1 (), or Stoiximan Super League for sponsorship reasons, is a professional association football league in Greece and the highest level of the Greek football league system. The league was formed on 16 July 2006 and repla ...

: 2003–04 *

Greek Cup The Greek Football Cup (), commonly known as the Greek Cup or Betsson Greek Cup for sponsorship reasons is a Greek football competition, run by the Hellenic Football Federation. The Greek Cup is the second-most important domestic men's footba ...

: 2003–04 Aris *

: runner-up 2002–03 Cameroon *

Olympic Games The modern Olympic Games (Olympics; ) are the world's preeminent international Olympic sports, sporting events. They feature summer and winter sports competitions in which thousands of athletes from around the world participate in a Multi-s ...

2000 2000 was designated as the International Year for the Culture of Peace and the World Mathematics, Mathematical Year. Popular culture holds the year 2000 as the first year of the 21st century and the 3rd millennium, because of a tende ...

2002 The effects of the September 11 attacks of the previous year had a significant impact on the affairs of 2002. The war on terror was a major political focus. Without settled international law, several nations engaged in anti-terror operation ...

; runner-up

2008 2008 was designated as: *International Year of Languages *International Year of Planet Earth *International Year of the Potato *International Year of Sanitation The Great Recession, a worldwide recession which began in 2007, continued throu ...

FIFA Confederations Cup The FIFA Confederations Cup was an international association football tournament for men's national teams, held every four years by FIFA. It was contested by the holders of each of the six continental championships ( AFC, CAF, CONCACAF, CONMEBO ...

: runner-up

2003 2003 was designated by the United Nations as the International Year of Fresh water, Freshwater. In 2003, a Multi-National Force – Iraq, United States-led coalition 2003 invasion of Iraq, invaded Iraq, starting the Iraq War. Demographic ...

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Epalle, Joel 1978 births Living people Sportspeople from Centre Region (Cameroon) Ethnikos Piraeus F.C. players Aris Thessaloniki F.C. players Panathinaikos F.C. players Cameroonian men's footballers Cameroon men's under-20 international footballers Cameroon men's international footballers Cameroonian expatriate men's footballers Olympic footballers for Cameroon Olympic gold medalists for Cameroon Footballers at the 2000 Summer Olympics 2001 FIFA Confederations Cup players 2002 African Cup of Nations players 2002 FIFA World Cup players 2003 FIFA Confederations Cup players 2008 Africa Cup of Nations players VfL Bochum players Panachaiki F.C. players Iraklis F.C. (Thessaloniki) players Azerbaijan Premier League players FC Baku players Sarawak FA State Football Team players Super League Greece players Expatriate men's footballers in Greece Bundesliga players Expatriate men's footballers in Germany Expatriate men's footballers in Azerbaijan Olympic medalists in football Union Douala players Medalists at the 2000 Summer Olympics Men's association football forwards Men's association football midfielders Cameroonian expatriate sportspeople in Azerbaijan Expatriate men's footballers in Malaysia