Roger Milla

Who is Roger Milla?

Roger Milla, born Albert Roger Miller on 20 May 1952 in Yaoundé, is a Cameroonian former professional footballer who became one of the first African players to achieve global stardom. He played as a forward for club sides in Cameroon and France before representing the Cameroon national team, the Indomitable Lions, at three FIFA World Cups. His defining moment came at the 1990 World Cup in Italy when, at 38 years old and out of international retirement, he scored four goals and inspired Cameroon to become the first African nation to reach a World Cup quarter-final, having opened the tournament with a famous win over defending champions Argentina. His trademark goal celebration, a dance at the corner flag, became one of the most recognized images in World Cup history. Four years later, at the 1994 World Cup in the United States, Milla broke his own record by scoring against Russia at age 42, becoming the oldest goalscorer in World Cup history at the time. In 2004 Pelé included him on the FIFA 100 list of the world's greatest living footballers. Milla's performances are widely credited with raising the international profile of African football.

Sources: Wikipedia, "Roger Milla" · Encyclopaedia Britannica, "Roger Milla" · FIFA.com, "Cameroon legend Roger Milla turns 70"