CLOSE-UP: Emilio Nsue, the 34-year-old AFCON leading scorer who plays as right-back in Spain’s 3rd tier

The Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) remains a competition that often defies logic. Africa’s premier football tournament has always been an attention grabber: teams with nicknames like an assemblage of wild animals, overzealous fans in a blinding array of colours and gimmicks, and ridiculous underdog stories that will make Hollywood envy. The 34th edition has continued on the unique path of its storied predecessors. 

With the group phase yet to wrap up, the AFCON holding in Ivory Coast has whipped up a litany of unbelievable moments — that sometimes border on the absurd. Equatorial Guinea thrashed Ivory Coast 4-0 in front of the home crowd, with African football legends like Didier Drogba and Solomon Kalou watching on helplessly. Cape Verde finished top of a group with Ghana and Egypt — the last two countries have 11 AFCON trophies combined. Namibia, a team ranked 115th in the world, stunned Tunisia in the first round of games. The greatest of shockers is Emilio Nsue and his goalscoring brilliance.

In a competition that has prolific finishers like Victor Osimhen, Mohammed Salah, Sadio Mane, and Inaki Williams, it is almost inconceivable that the leading goalscorer is a 34-year-old who sometimes plays as a right-back for a club in the Spanish third division.

With five goals in the group stage, Nsue helped Equatorial Guinea finish at the top of Group A, ahead of Nigeria and the Ivory Coast. But who is Emilio Nsue?

CHOSE EQUATORIAL GUINEA AFTER SPAIN REJECTED HIM

Nsue was born in Mallorca on the Balearic Islands in Spain. His mother is a Spaniard while his father is an Equatoguinean born in Ebebiyín, a town in the Central African country.

“My father left Ebebiyín for work opportunities, and then he met my mother in Spain. It’s a story of love, not politics. I still have family – a lot of cousins – in Ebebiyín,” Nsue said in a chat with Guardian UK.

Nsue grew up in Palma, and his football talents became apparent at an early age when RCD Mallorca, the local club, quickly snapped him up.

He passed through the club’s youth system and represented Spain in several youth categories. He won the 2009 UEFA U-19 championship with Spain. Two years later,  he was also a member of the Spain squad that won the 2011 U-21 UEFA championship, alongside players like Thiago Alcantara, Juan Mata, David de Gea, Ander Herrera and Javi Martinez.

In 2012, Equatorial Guinea was hosting its first-ever AFCON alongside Gabon, and the country reached out to Nsue to represent them. He rejected the invitation, eyeing a place on the Spanish team for the football event of the 2012 Olympics in London. He did not make the Spanish team and had to recalibrate his national leanings.

“I played for Spain at every youth level. We won the Uefa Under-21 Championship in 2011, and the Olympic Games came the next year. There were 30 people on the list, and I wasn’t on it. After that, I decided I wanted a new experience.” he said.

In 2013, he switched his allegiance to Equatorial Guinea and debuted for the country in the 2014 World Cup qualifiers against Cape Verde. Nsue scored a hat-trick in a 4-3 win. However, CAF said his naturalisation paperwork was completed incorrectly, and the match was forfeited.

“I haven’t forgotten those goals, and nor has the country. For CAF and Fifa, well, they don’t count. I gave my papers in very quickly, and the federation needed more time to do everything,” he said.

“I said I was eager to play, they said: ‘Yes, give us the papers, quick.’ It was 50% my fault and 50% theirs.”

UNSUCCESSFUL SPELL IN ENGLAND AND THE SWITCH TO RIGHT-BACK

During his formative years in the Mallorca and Spanish youth establishment, Nsue was primarily a forward. He was skilful and versatile, playing every position in attack. But during his transition into the main squad of Mallorca, he was deployed several times as a right-back.

Joaquin Caparros, then Mallorca manager, played Nsue as a right-back for over 20 games in the campaign.

“In Spain, there is a lack of full-backs; There are not many and even less rights. Because of my characteristics, I can do it well, I play fast and work to improve in defence,” Nsue said on the position switch.

After brief loan spells at CD Castellon and Real Sociedad, Nsue moved to Middleborough in England’s Championship in 2014.

He was signed by Aitor Karanka, who had managed Nsue during his days in the youth Spanish set-up. Although Karanka promised to use Nsue in attacking roles, the Equatoguinean played most games as a right-back.

Nsue was ferried off to Birmingham City, where he continued to play as a right-back until he moved to Cyprus. He could only manage four cumulative goals in 101 matches during his spell in England.

He joined APOEL FC in the Cypriot league, then Tuzla City in the Bosnian league before settling for CF Intercity Alicante, a team in the Spanish third division, in 2022.

EQUATORIAL GUINEA RECORD GOALSCORER

Despite the role change in Nsue’s club career, the national team consistently used him as the central striker. His delivery from the position has been prolific for the country.

In 2019, Nsue scored twice in a friendly match against Saudi Arabia, surpassing Juvenal Edjogo-Owono as Equatorial Guinea’s all-time goalscorer. 

He has almost doubled the record number of goals since then — with 22 goals.

FIRST PLAYER TO SCORE AFCON HAT-TRICK IN 16 YEARS

On January 18, Nsue scored three goals as Equatorial Guinea defeated Guinea-Bissau 4-2 in their second group game.

The achievement made him the first player to score a hat-trick at an AFCON tournament since 2008.

Soufiane Alloudi scored the last hattrick at AFCON in Morocco’s 5-1 thrashing of Namibia 16 years ago.

The 34-year-old Nsue also became the oldest player to score three goals in a match in the competition.