Orlando Pirates striker Souaibou Marou did not make the final 27-man Cameroon squad ahead of the Africa Cup of Nations next month.
Marou, 23, came with high expectations to the Buccaneers last year January after being part of Cameroon’s squad for the 2022 FIFA World Cup but things haven’t worked out the way the player and many onlookers would’ve expected.
The striker had scored 30 goals in 63 appearances for Coton Sport over the last two seasons before his move to South Africa and was named Cameroonian Footballer of the Year in October 2022.
He made his Cameroon debut in September 2022 and many thought he could become the next top striker following in the footsteps of Samuel Eto’o, who is now the president of the Cameroon Football Federation.
However, things didn’t go according to plan for the 23-year-old striker, as he has only made seven appearances since joining the Buccaneers. In 2023/24, he’s only featured twice, both of them in the CAF Champions League qualifying rounds, but he is yet to score.
As a consequence, Marou had lost his place in Rigobert Song’s squad and it comes as little surprise that he hasn’t made the final selection for the AFCON.
It is spearheaded by players like Manchester United goalkeeper Andre Onana, Napoli midfielder Frank Anguissa and Besiktas forward Vincent Aboubakar, while Bayern Munich forward Eric Maxim Choupo-Moting was not selection.
Cameroon were drawn in Group C alongside Guinea, Senegal and The Gambia. The five-time AFCON winners will play two warm-up friendlies against Equatorial Guinea and Zambia ahead of the tournament.
