Football: “In Nîmes, I'm on a mission,” explains Simon Ngapandouetnbu, the goalkeeper loaned by OM

In five matches under the jersey of Nîmes Olympique, Simon Ngapandouetnbu, who played his first match as a pro against Châteauroux, has already managed three clean sheets. Midi Libre – SYLVIE CAMBON

A goalkeeper with great potential, Simon Ngapandouetnbu joined the crocodile club to finally play as a pro and progress, his goal being to one day impose himself at Marseille, who loaned him for a year.

Everyone calls him Simon or, like some of his teammates, Brady, his middle name. Not many people dare to use his surname: Ngapandouetnbu. A long name that is not common, even in Cameroon. Few people have it, he assures us. There is his father, his four sisters and his brother as well as a few cousins.

“It is not passed down from generation to generation”, says the new goalkeeper of Nîmes Olympique. Near Foumban where he was born, in the West Region of Cameroon, there is a village called Douetnbu and in the local dialect, Ngapandouetnbu means « Don't worry about Douetnbu's problems ». It is said.

#football Simon, Dias et Cozzella, les trois gardiens de @nimesolympique, à l’entraînement. Déjà 3 clean sheet en 5 matchs pour le portier prêté par l’@OM_Officiel. pic.twitter.com/spogTVgYqQ

— Midi Libre Sports (@MidiLibreSports) September 30, 2024

Steve Mandanda, his role model

As a child, N. Simon, as written on his jersey, does not play football. "That didn't interest me." Even when he arrives with his parents in Marseille where some of his uncles and aunts live, he remains far from football. He is then six years old. It was only a few months later that he got started, encouraged by his school friends. He initially played in attack: “I wasn't good up front.” He dropped down a notch but in midfield, “you had to run too much, it was tiring". So here he is, a goalkeeper: “I loved him straight away!”

He identifies very quickly with Steve Mandanda, of course. “He's a real big guy! I'm a real fan. He's a role model for me. When I was young, I stacked his jerseys!" A few years later, he found himself training with “Il Fenomeno” who would become "a big brother". Because N. Simon has qualities, which were quickly spotted by OM, which he joined at the age of 11. His potential is such that Marseille signed him to his first professional contract at the age of 16, in October 2019. The contract has since been extended twice – in May 2022 and April 2024 – and which now runs until June 2026.

In Marseille, he has always remained on the bench until now

“The club has invested a lot in me, it doesn't do it for everyone”, notes the 21-year-old Franco-Cameroonian (1.88 m, 80 kg), who has only one goal: « Work to become a starter at OM. » He knows that he will need the “luck factor”, but he wants believe it: “My time will come.”

That's why he joined Nîmes, on loan.“I came here on a mission. At my age, I need to play. It's essential for my progression.”

With the Marseille club, this Protestant who tries to go to church once a week has not made any appearances for the first team. He has nevertheless sat on the bench about sixty times, “in all possible competitions”, in Ligue 1, Coupe de France, Champions League, Europa League and Conference League.

Already three clean sheets with the Crocodiles

His matches, forty in total, were played with the Marseille reserve team, in N2 and N3. His first time as a pro, “that's what I'll tell my kids”, was with the Crocodiles, against Châteauroux (1-0) on August 23. That's where he kept the first of his three clean sheets in five outings.“I'm crazy, he smiles, but since we have a good defense, I'm aiming for twenty in total, which would guarantee twenty points minimum."

He likes cinema and reading

The one who cuts himself off from football by going to the cinema (he just saw Golo and Ritchie at Kinepolis) and reading (he recommends Mamba Mentality by Kobe Bryant and Rich Dad, Poor Dad by Robert T. Kiyosaki) is really ambitious, and he assures us of it: “I believe in promotion!”

He has already understood that the task will not be easy. The National, which he is discovering and getting to know by watching a lot of matches, “is not a championship like the others, he analyzes.It's a lot of direct play, impact and contact. You must never give up. This will allow me to gain maturity".

A complete, dynamic goalkeeper with scope

"Simon is a complete goalkeeper. He is very dynamic and moves very quickly on the ground despite his size, explains Jérémy Struffaldi, coach of the crocodile goalkeepers. He has wingspan, which allows him to take up space in the air and in his area because he does not stay on his line, where he is very good." One of his strengths, seen against Versailles, "is the exceptional quality of his hand passes thanks to his power and his good vision of the game, continues Struffaldi. As soon as he recovers the ball, he looks at the positioning of the players to quickly trigger a rapid attack".

Element "invested and hardworking", who "does not think that individually", N. Simon must progress "in his management of strong and weak moments and in his footwork", points out Struffaldi, the player mentioning, himself, efforts to be made still in concentration and communication.

Nîmes "the right choice"

By choosing Nîmes rather than Martigues in particular, the Cameroonian international (no selection, three World Cup benches and one in the African Cup of Nations) is "sure of having made the right choice. I knew what I was getting into. No one told me: “Come and then we'll see.” No, I had the coach on the phone, he explained his game plan to me and included me in it. Thanks to Nîmes, I will be able to go higher".

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