Roger Milla’s biography, net worth, fact, career, awards and life story

Albert Roger Mooh Miller (born 20 May 1952), commonly known as Roger Milla, is a retired Cameroonian footballer who played as a forward. He was one of the first African players to be major stars on the international stage. He played in three World Cups for the Cameroon national team.

He achieved international stardom at 38 years old, an age at which most forward-playing footballers have retired, by scoring four goals at the 1990 FIFA World Cup. He helped Cameroon become the first African team to reach the World Cup quarter-finals. Four years later, at the age of 42, he became the oldest goalscorer in World Cup history by scoring against Russia in the 1994 FIFA World Cup.

He is also remembered for his trademark goal celebration of running to the corner flag and performing a dance. In the years that have followed, he has been recognised as a pioneer of the many unconventional and imaginative goal celebrations seen since then. He was named one of the 125 greatest living football players in 2004 by Brazilian football player Pelé. In 2007, he was named by the Confederation of African Football as the best African player of the previous 50 years.

Club career

Born in the Cameroonian capital of Yaoundé, he moved constantly as a child because of his father’s railroad job. He signed for his first club in Douala as a 13-year-old. At 18, he won his first league championship with Léopards Douala.

In 1976, by which time he had moved to Tonnerre Yaoundé, he was named African Footballer of the Year.

In 1977, he was lured to Europe by the French club Valenciennes. However, he was kept on the reserves for two years. In 1979, he joined AS Monaco, but shuttled between the reserves’ bench and the injury list. The next year, he joined Bastia, but still did not flourish. He finally found stardom at Saint-Etienne in 1984; he then starred for Montpellier from 1986 to 1989, where he later went on to become a member of the club’s coaching staff after retiring from French football.

International career

Milla was capped 63 times for the national team, scoring 37 goals. Milla made his first appearance for Cameroon in 1973 versus Zaire in a World Cup qualifier. He was a member of Cameroon’s team at the 1982 FIFA World Cup, having a goal disallowed against Peru in their first match. Cameroon went out with three draws from their three first-round games. Two years later, he was part of the squad competing at the 1984 Summer Olympics in Los Angeles, California. He first retired from international football in 1987, and eventually moved to Réunion in the Indian Ocean where he played for JS Saint-Pierroise.

However, in 1990, he received a phone call from the President of Cameroon Paul Biya, who pleaded with him to come out of international retirement and rejoin the national team. He agreed, and went to Italy with the Indomitable Lions for the 1990 World Cup.

1990 World Cup

38-year-old Milla emerged as one of the tournament’s major stars. He scored four goals in Italy, celebrating each one with a dance around the corner flag that has become a popular goal celebration ever since. Two of his goals came against Romania in Cameroon’s second game, and two more came in extra time against Colombia in the last 16 to carry Cameroon to the quarter-finals, the furthest an African team had ever advanced at the World Cup (Senegal matched this feat in 2002, and Ghana matched it in 2010). In the quarter-final match against England, Milla confirmed his super-sub legend by entering in the second half with Cameroon trailing 1–0 and drawing a penalty and then setting up a goal for Ekeke to give Cameroon a 2–1 lead, before England later scored two penalties, to win 3–2 after extra time. Due to his performances in Italy, he was once again named African Footballer of the Year.

His second goal celebration against Colombia was the subject of the 2010 World Cup Coca-Cola advertisement.

1994 World Cup

Milla returned to the 1994 FIFA World Cup at the age of 42, being the oldest player ever to appear in a World Cup until the 2014 FIFA World Cup when Faryd Mondragón entered in the Colombia vs. Japan game being 43 years and 3 days old, setting a new record. Cameroon were knocked out in the group stages; however, Milla scored a goal against Russia, setting a record as the oldest goalscorer in a World Cup tournament, breaking the record he had set in 1990. His final international appearance came in a friendly against South Africa in December 1994.

Post-playing career

He is now an itinerant ambassador for African causes. In 2004, he was named to the FIFA 100, a list of the 125 greatest living footballers selected by Pelé in conjunction with FIFA’s centenary celebrations.

Milla starred in a Coca-Cola advertisement for 2010 FIFA World Cup as the originator of dancing whilst celebrating when scoring a goal. He is seen in the crowd drinking Coca-Cola.

Career statistics

Honours

Club

• Cameroon Première Division: 1972, 1973
• African Cup Winners’ Cup: 1975
• Coupe de France: 1980, 1981
• French Division 2: 1987

International

• Africa Cup of Nations: 1984, 1988

Individual

• African Footballer of the Year: 1976, 1990
• Africa Cup of Nations Best Player: 1986
• African Cup of Nations Top Scorer: 1986, 1988
• FIFA World Cup Bronze Boot: 1990
• FIFA World Cup All-Star Team: 1990
• FIFA 100
• CAF Best African Player of the last 50 years: 2007
• Golden Foot Legends Award: 2014
• IFFHS Legends