| Personal information | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | Joël Dieudonné Martin Epalle Newaka | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Date of birth | (1978-02-20)20 February 1978 (age 47) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Place of birth | Matomb,[1] Cameroon | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Height | 1.75 m (5 ft 9 in) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Position(s) | Midfielder,forward | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Team information | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Current team | Val d'Europe FC (Manager) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Youth career | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Union Douala | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Senior career* | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| –1998 | Union Douala | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 1998–2000 | Ethnikos Piraeus | 53 | (3) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2000–2001 | Panachaiki | 44 | (3) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2002–2003 | Aris | 36 | (1) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2003–2005 | Panathinaikos | 15 | (1) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2005–2007 | Iraklis | 56 | (21) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2007–2010 | VfL Bochum | 92 | (8) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2010–2011 | FK Baku | 10 | (1) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2011 | Iraklis | 10 | (0) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2012–2013 | Sarawak FA | 5 | (2) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| International career‡ | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 1995–2008[2] | Cameroon | 34 | (2) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Managerial career | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2014– | Val d'Europe FC | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2018–2019 | Cameroon (assistant) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Medal record
| ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| * Club domestic league appearances and goals as of 15 May 2012 ‡ National team caps and goals as of 28 November 2009 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Joël Dieudonné Martin Epalle Newaka (born 20 February 1978) is a Cameroonianfootball manager and former player who manages Val d'Europe FC.
He mainly played as aright midfielder, but throughout his career he also played as asecond striker, more noticeably during his first spell atIraklis. He was born inMatomb, Cameroon and played youth football in Cameroonian clubUnion Douala, the team for which he made his senior debut. After his spell in Cameroon, in 1998, he moved to Greece where he played football for several clubs, includingEthnikos,Panachaiki,Aris,Panathinaikos and Iraklis in a time span of9+1⁄2 years. Subsequently, in January 2007, he moved toBundesliga outfitVfL Bochum where he played for3+1⁄2 years. After a brief stay atAzerbaijani clubFK Baku, in January 2011 he returned to Greece to have a second spell at Iraklis. Epalle was Iraklis' top-scorer for the2005–06 season. Started at the end of March 2012, he made his first appearance and play forSarawak FA alongside his fellow Cameroon friend,Guy Bwele.[citation needed]
Epalle won 31 caps forCameroon. He was a member of theCameroon side that won the gold medal in the2000 Summer Olympics football tournament. Epalle was also a member of theCameroon squad that won the2002 African Cup of Nations.[citation needed]
He began his career in his local team calledUnion Douala.
Epalle signed for Greek clubEthnikos in December 1997.[3] Until the end of the season Epalle played in 16 matches for the club ofPiraeus.[3] In his second season for the club, Epalle continued appearing regularly, totalling 23 matches, not managing to help his club avoid relegation.[4] In theBeta Ethniki Epalle managed to score his first goal for Ethnikos in a match againstApollon Kalamarias.[5] He managed to score two more,[5] before leaving the club during the winter transfer window.[6]
During the winter transfer window of the1999-00 season Epalle signed forPanachaiki.[7] He signed a two-year contract on a free transfer, on 26 January 2000, after gaining his freedom from Ethnikos, due to the club's debt to him.[8] Epalle debuted for Panachaiki on 29 January 2000, in a 0–2 home win againstOlympiacos.[9] In his first season inPatras Epalle featured in 15 league matches and scored two goals.[7] Epalle played for Panachaiki for almost two years and totalled three goals out of 44 appearances.[7][10][11]
Epalle left them forAris Saloniki.
After being released from Aris, Epalle signed a four-year contract for Greek clubPanathinaikos in July 2003, stating his ambition to win trophies for Panathinaikos.[12] Epalle made his debut for Panathinaikos in the first round of the2003–04 season, as he was in the starting lineup in Panathinaikos' 1–0 home win againstSkoda Xanthi.[13] He scored his first goal for Panathinaikos in a 6–3 home win againstPanionios for the fifteenth round of the2003–04 season. Until the end of the season Epalle appeared in 15 league matches scoring one goal.[14] He also played his first match in aEuropean competition as he came in at halftime of a 5–0 away defeat againstManchester United. In thenext season Epalle did not get any chances in the league,[15] and he only appeared in twoChampions League matches. On 7 January 2005, Epalle was released by Panathinaikos to empty a foreign player's spot, so the club would be able to sign Brazilian defensivemidfielder Anderson de Lima Freitas.[16]
Briefly after his releaseIraklis decided to sign him.
In January 2007, Epalle signed a3+1⁄2-year contract withVfL Bochum.[17] The transfer fee was €600,000. Epalle debuted for VfL Bochum in a home match againstMainz. He played in the whole match but Mainz managed to win the match by 1–0 in a close encounter.[18] In the next match Epalle was once again a starter and he helped Bochum to get an away 0–0 draw from German giantsFC Bayern.[19] Epalle's first major contribution to the team came in a match againstArminia Bielefeld. He dribbled in the centre of the field before passing the ball towardsGekas to help him score the second goal of their team in what was meant to be a 3–1 away win for Bochum.[20] In the match Epalle scored his first goal for Bochum. A corner was taken by his teammateMisimović, anAlemannia Aachen defender poorly cleared the ball, and Epalle took advantage of the loose ball to score his team's second goal, in a match that finished 2–2.[21] Epalle continued showing his scoring abilities, as he send the ball to settle in the net ofHannover 96, during a count-attack of his team, to make the score 2–0, that was also the final score of the match.[22] He also proved himself to be highly effective in front of the goal in an away match againstEintracht Frankfurt by scoring twice. His first goal was a powerful effort from just outside the area in the 58th minute of the match and second was scored in the 69th minute after an assist by Gekas.[23] In his first season for Bochum Epalle played in all 17Bundesliga matches in the second round of the2006–07 campaign (all as a starter), scored four goals and handed three assists to his teammates.
In the opening stages of the2008–09 season Epalle was forced to miss several matches due to a toe injury.[24] He was able to make his come back, in a 0–0 home draw againstWerder Bremen, after replacing the injuredChristian Fuchs in the 42nd minute.[25]
On 11 June 2010, Bochum announced that the contract of Epalle would not be extended beyond its original expiry date on 30 June 2010.[26] During his spell at Bochum he became a firm favorite amongst his teammates and the club's fans due to his hard-working style of play and the trademark back-flip celebration of his goals.[26]
In the summer of 2010, Epalle signed a contract withAzerbaijan Premier League outfitFK Baku, to meet again withWinfried Schäfer, his former manager forthe Indomitable Lions. His first game for FK Baku was on 15 July, for the second qualifying round ofUEFA Europa League, againstBudućnost ofMontenegro.[27] Epalle was suspended for that match, as he was sent off in anIraklis match four years ago againstWisła Kraków,[28] and due to this Budućnost gained a 3–0 default win, in a match they had originally lost 2–1.[29] Epalle was handed a further two-match suspension.[29] He made his league debut for his new club on 22 August in a 2–1 home win againstGabala.[30] He was substituted in the 83rd minute of the match forIbrahim Kargbo.[31] The next match he featured, was a 1–1 home draw againstGanja on 12 September.[30] In November his agent stated that Epalle was not happy with the lifestyle of Azerbaijan and with the situation in Azerbaijani football.[32] The main reasons for that reaction was the low attendance of Azerbaijani Premier League and the fact that he could do nothing besides training and staying in his hotel room.[32] His agent also declared Epalle's desire to return in theGreek Superleague for Iraklis.[32] He played again on 13 November[30] coming in as a substitute forAleksandar Šolić in the 78th minute, in a match that FK Baku won 2–0.[33] In the next match againstMOIK Baku he came in as an 84th-minute substitute, and he managed to score a goal in the 88th minute, his first and only goal for FK Baku.[34] In his short spell for FK Baku Epalle totally played in ten matches and scored one goal.[30][35]
"I'm glad to return and I will go from strength to strength for our supporters. I missed life in Thessaloniki, and the love of our fans as well. That's why I came back and I hope that everything will go fine, so I can finish my career here. In Iraklis it feels like home."
On 18 January 2011, Epalle signed a two-and-a-half-year contract withIraklis.[37] He made his first appearance, in his second spell for the club, in a 0–0 home draw againstKerkyra, as he came in, to replaceJavier Robles, in the 55th minute of the match.[38]
On 2 April 2012, Epalle officially signed withSarawak FA. On 24 March 2012, he made his first appearance with Sarawak FA againstMalaysia national football team in a friendly match at State Stadium, Kuching. The match ended with draw 1–1. Epalle scored the equalizer.[39] His official league debut, in the game againstKelantan FA on 7 April 2012, saw Epalle fouled and he received a free-kick in the 18th minute which led to a goal byGuy Bwele in the 1–1 draw.[40] His first goal for Sarawak was scored againstKuala Lumpur FA, an equaliser in a 1–1 draw on 4 May 2012.[41]
Epalle was capped withCameroon and was a participant at the2000 Olympic Games and at the2002 FIFA World Cup. So far, he gained 31 caps with Cameroon and scored two goals.[42][43] His first cap for Cameroon was on 26 November 1995, in a match againstGabon inLibreville forBellier Africa Tournament.[44] His debut was made while aged 17 years and 283, making him the tenth youngest player to gain a full cap for Cameroon at that time (16th nowadays).[45]
Epalle played in the opening match of Cameroon, coming in as a substitute in the 78th minute forSerge Branco, in a match that his team won by a 3–2 scoreline.[46] He started the next match againstUnited States, a 1–1 draw, but he was substituted byDaniel Kome in the 65th minute, just after the United States team scored its goal.[47] He was benched in the two next matches, a 1–1 draw against theCzech Republic.[48] The situation did not change in the quarter-final match againstBrazil, a match that Cameroon won 2–1 after extra time.[49] He featured again in the semi-final, a 1–2 win overChile, as he came in to replaceModeste Mbami in the 65th minute.[50] In the final, againstSpain he came in as a substitute in the 91st minute to replaceSerge Branco for the extra-time.[51] The score was 2–2 after extra-time and Cameroon finally won 5–3 in the penalty shoot-out to be named Olympic gold medallists.[51][52]
Epalle was a starter in the opening match of the tournament for the "Indomitable Lions", a 4–2 loss against defending championsEgypt.[53] He was an unused substitute in Cameroon's 5–1 win againstZambia,[54] but he reappeared in the final match of the group stage, a 3–0 win againstSudan.[55] In the quarter-final againstTunisia he came in as a substitute in the 62nd minute forEmana to help his team win the match, as he assistedMbia, with a flick-on, to score the match decider in extra time.[56] In the semi-final, Epalle came in forIdrissou in the start of second half to help his team advance to the final.[57] In the final Epalle was at the starting eleven, but he was substituted, in the 65th minute by M'bami, in a match that saw Egypt crownedAfrica Cup of Nations champions for a sixth time.[58]
Ahead of the 2014–15 season, Epalle was appointed manager of French Regional club Val d'Europe FC.[59] In September 2018 it was confirmed, that Epalle beside his manager position at Val d'Europe FC, also had been appointed the assistant manager ofCameroon national football team under newly appointed managerClarence Seedorf alongsidePatrick Kluivert andJean-Alain Boumsong.[60]
Epalle is married to Mari, with whom he has two daughters Marilyn and Zonti, both born in Greece and a son born inParis.[61][62] He is also a cousin of his fellow Cameroon internationalTimothée Atouba.[63]
Panathinaikos
Aris
Cameroon
Cameroon U-23
Cameroon squads | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
