William Andem

William Andem
Personal information
Full name Bassey William Andem[1]
Date of birth (1968-06-14) 14 June 1968 (age 56)[1]
Place of birth Douala, Cameroon
Height 1.86 m (6 ft 1 in)[1]
Position(s) Goalkeeper
Senior career*
Years Team Apps (Gls)
1989–1993 Union Douala
1992 → Olympic Mvolyé (loan)
1994–1996 Cruzeiro 9 (0)
1997–1998 Bahia 19 (0)
1998–2007 Boavista 152 (0)
2007–2008 Feirense 3 (0)
International career
1989–1998 Cameroon 31 (0)
*Club domestic league appearances and goals

Bassey William Andem (born 14 June 1968) is a Cameroonian former professional footballer who played as a goalkeeper.

He spent most of his career career in Portuguese-speaking countries, mainly at the service of Boavista.

Andem won 31 caps for the Cameroon national team in nine years, being part of the squad at the 1998 World Cup.

Club career

Andem was born in Douala. After starting his professional career with his hometown club Union Douala (which included a loan spell at Olympic Mvolyé) he moved to Brazil, where he represented Cruzeiro Esporte Clube and Esporte Clube Bahia.[2]

In January 1998, Andem joined Portuguese Primeira Liga side Boavista FC, where he engaged in an interesting battle for first-choice status with future Sporting CP player and Portugal international Ricardo.[3][4] However, as the Chequereds' won the 2001 national championship – their only – he appeared in just seven matches.[2]

After Ricardo left for Lisbon, Andem was restored as starter, losing the position midway through the 2004–05 campaign to new signing Carlos. He would regain his previous status after the Angolan was sold to FC Steaua București,[5] totalling a further 43 league appearances in two seasons.

Andem played his last season as a professional in 2007–08, with Segunda Liga team C.D. Feirense, where he was second-fiddle.[6] He retired at the age of 40, later working in directorial capacities at Union Douala.[2]

International career

Barred mainly by Jacques Songo'o, Andem featured irregularly for Cameroon over eight years. He was selected as backup for the 1998 FIFA World Cup,[2] also making the squad in three Africa Cup of Nations tournaments.[7][8][9]

References

  1. ^ a b c William Andem at WorldFootball.net
  2. ^ a b c d Stein, Leandro (2 December 2022). "A história de William Andem, o goleiro da seleção de Camarões que passou três anos no Cruzeiro e mais um no Bahia" [The story of William Andem, the Cameroon national team goalkeeper who spent three years with Cruzeiro and another one with Bahia] (in Portuguese). Trivela. Retrieved 15 March 2023.
  3. ^ Neves, Marcelo (10 October 1999). "William: «Se ficar no banco não há problema»" [William: "If I stay on the bench it will be fine"]. Record (in Portuguese). Retrieved 15 March 2023.
  4. ^ A. Lopes, Norberto (16 October 2000). "«Não esperava sair da baliza», diz William" ["I did not expect to leave the goal", says William] (in Portuguese). Mais Futebol. Retrieved 15 March 2023.
  5. ^ Alvarenga, Vítor Hugo (28 January 2006). "Boavista: Carlos a caminho do Steaua de Bucareste (Roménia)" [Boavista: Carlos on his way to Steaua Bucharest (Romania)] (in Portuguese). Mais Futebol. Retrieved 15 March 2023.
  6. ^ "William certo por uma época" [William confirmed for one season]. Record (in Portuguese). 14 July 2007. Retrieved 15 March 2023.
  7. ^ Courtney, Barrie. "African Nations Cup 1990 – Final Tournament Details". RSSSF. Retrieved 15 March 2023.
  8. ^ Bobrowsky, Josef; Mazet, François. "African Nations Cup 1992". RSSSF. Retrieved 15 March 2023.
  9. ^ Courtney, Barrie. "African Nations Cup 1996 – Final Tournament Details". RSSSF. Retrieved 15 March 2023.