After featuring in virtually every qualifying match for both the 2006 and 2010 FIFA World Cup™ finals, the utterly dependable Pierre Webo fully deserves his place in Paul Le Guen’s squad for South Africa.

A wholehearted competitor, Webo started his professional career at Gambia’s Real Banju before decamping to Uruguay, where he made his name with Nacional of Montevideo. Scoring 15 times in 21 matches, he was the leading marksman in the league in 2002, an achievement that awakened the interest of a number of sides across the Atlantic.

It was Spanish second division outfit Leganes, based in the Madrid suburbs, that won the race for his signature. Shortly afterwards he joined Osasuna and got his first taste of top-flight action. In 114 appearances for the Pamplona club, the muscular Cameroonian forward scored 20 goals and earned the admiration of the fans for his committed displays. His departure for Real Mallorca caused no little heartache for player and supporters, although he has go on to return even more impressive stats for Los Bermellones.

His first outing for his country came in 2003 and he has since taken part in two CAF Africa Cup of Nations competitions, although his finest achievement to date with the Indomitable Lions was the hat-trick he scored against Côte d’Ivoire in a qualifier for Germany 2006.