Roudolphe Douala

Roudolphe Douala

Personal information
Full name	Roudolphe Douala M'bele
Date of birth	25 September 1978 (1978-09-25)
Place of birth	Douala, Cameroon
Height	1.76 m (5 ft 9 1⁄2 in)
Playing position	Winger
Club information
Current club	Free agent
Senior career*
Years	Team	Apps†	(Gls)†
1997–1998	Saint-Étienne	0	(0)
1998–2004	Boavista	40	(6)
2000–2001	→ Aves (loan)	28	(4)
2001–2002	→ Gil Vicente (loan)	31	(4)
2002–2004	→ União Leiria (loan)	66	(15)
2004–2007	Sporting CP	47	(6)
2006–2007	→ Portsmouth (loan)	7	(0)
2007–2008	Saint-Étienne	12	(0)
2008	Asteras Tripoli	12	(0)
2009	Plymouth Argyle	2	(0)
2010–2011	Lierse	11	(2)
National team
2004–2009	Cameroon	17	(1)
* Senior club appearances and goals counted for the domestic league only and correct as of 19:55, 22 May 2011 (UTC). † Appearances (Goals).

For the Duala king see Rudolph Duala Manga Bell.

Roudolphe Douala M'bele (born 25 September 1978 in Douala), known as Douala, is a Cameroonian footballer. Mainly a winger, he can also operate as a forward, and played professionally in five countries, mainly in Portugal.

Football career

Douala started his professional career at AS Saint-Étienne, but did not make any Ligue 2 appearances for the French club, moving to Portugal when he was 20, signing with Boavista FC.

After two loans, at Gil Vicente F.C. and União de Leiria (where he first made an impact in the national championship), Douala moved to Sporting Clube de Portugal, scoring five league goals in his debut season, while also helping the Lions to the the season's UEFA Cup final, notably scoring against Middlesbrough in a 3–2 away win. Never an undisputed starter, however, he would be loaned for 2006–07 to England's Portsmouth on the very last day of the summer transfer window, with a view to a permanent signing.

Speculation during the 2007 winter transfer window had linked Douala with a move away from the club, with the player reportedly frustrated at his lack of first team opportunities at Fratton Park. A move never materialized, however, and Douala recently revealed that "On the last day of the transfer window two clubs were calling me all day, but I said 'I want to stay'".

He returned to Sporting when his loan contract ended and, on 14 July 2007, rejoined old club Saint-Étienne for an undisclosed fee. After only one season where he appeared sparingly, Douala left for Asteras Tripoli F.C. in Greece. A fruitless spell soon followed and, after agreeing a release from his contract, he signed with English club Plymouth Argyle on 22 March 2009, for the remainder of the 2008–09 campaign, making his debut as a substitute in the Pilgrims' 4–0 home win against Coventry City, on 11 April. However, he was unsuccessful in securing a long-term contract, and was released.

On 15 March 2010, 31-year old Douala moved teams and countries again, signing with Belgium's Lierse SK, and the club returned to the top division at the season's end, with the player contributing with one goal.

External links

• Stats and profile at Zerozero
• Stats at ForaDeJogo (Portuguese)
• L'Équipe stats (French)
• Rodolph Douala career stats at Soccerbase
• Roudolphe Douala at National-Football-Teams.com
• Biography at Anciens Verts (French)
• BBC profile
• Soccerway profile