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4 months ago
24 ARTICLE AD
Author of a great end to the season in National, Dijon, currently 4th 5 points behind 2nd, Martigues, will not move up to Ligue 2. But the DFCO, which was still playing in Ligue 1 in 2020-21, was able to count on a a whole new generation of players, which allowed the club coached by Benoit Tavenot to flirt with moving up to L2. Results: 4 victories in the last 5 matches played. Among the great revelations, Rayane Messi obviously, but also and above all Loïc Etoga, who has shone brightly since his integration into the pro team last October. Crowned African U17 champion with Cameroon in 2019, Etoga, like a diesel, took time to be able to show his qualities at the highest level.
After being trained at the AS International Football Academy in Yaoundé, then revealed at the G8 talent Cameroon – the best young talent competition in sub-Saharan Africa (from which Zambo Anguissa (Naples) and Singo (Monaco) among others emerged) – the Cameroonian played in the U17 World Cup in Brazil. He subsequently joined Olympiacos Vodou, in Greece, in the form of a loan, before landing in Dijon (supervised by Jean Patrick Maurel). After a few months of adaptation and an injury which took him away from the field for a few months, this modern midfielder, now 21 years old, was able to play his first professional minutes in October. It’s simple: since then, he has never left the team. A real talisman for the DFCO, which has made 19 appearances this season (including 14 starts).
Impressive statistic revealing his stature in the team: in his 14 starts, Dijon has recorded 8 wins – 4 draws – 2 defeats, i.e. an invincibility rate of 86% when his metronome is on the field. Furthermore, Etoga was able to string together high-level performances with several man of the match titles over this period. Followed by Cameroon by his relatives, and in particular his mother who did not want her son to leave the country and take the baccalaureate, this very powerful environment, impactful, impressive in its sense of anticipation, and exemplary in the self-sacrifice, continues to impress and progress. His maturity, astonishing for a 21-year-old player, and his quality of passing, both in the short and long game, is another considerable asset.
Qualities and room for improvement that impress until Serie A
What can we say about his combativeness (sometimes taken to the extreme and which earned him some reprimands from the refereeing body) and his incessant activity in the midfield, whether in his ability to shout in races or to scratch goals? balloons… In its match reports, the local press never stops praising him. In short: a player with immense room for improvement who will, in fact, open the doors to the higher divisions, especially since all observers agree that Etoga is growing very quickly.
At the end of his lease with Dijon, Loïc Etoga is at a crossroads and will have to find the right project to continue his progress, whether in club or with his selection, Cameroon, launched on a new cycle since the arrival of ‘a Marc Brys at its head, and who is looking for new “humanly good” talents. In Italy, we have also been following the performances of No. 29 from Dijon for several weeks. According to our information, the Napoli of a certain André-Frank Zambo Anguissa, who is full of praise for him, as well as AC Milan, have sent scouts on several occasions to supervise Etoga with Dijon. Seduced as much by the player’s profile as by his room for improvement and his free agent status, the two Italian teams are considering going on the offensive very quickly. To be continued.
