Roger Milla and Africa's awakening: Cameroon 1990
At 38 and with a dance by the corner flag, Roger Milla took Cameroon to the Italia 90 quarter-finals, Africa's best result until then. And at 42 he would still score at a World Cup.
The 1990 World Cup in Italy changed the perception of African football forever, and it had a face: that of Roger Milla, a Cameroonian striker who arrived at the tournament aged 38, all but retired and playing on the island of Réunion, called up almost on a presidential whim.
Cameroon gave the first warning in the opening match, beating Maradona's Argentina, the reigning world champions, 1-0 despite finishing with nine men. It was one of the biggest shocks in the tournament's history and the starting gun for an epic run.
Milla, coming off the bench, became the sensation of the World Cup with four goals and, above all, with his celebration: a hip-swinging dance by the corner flag that travelled the world. His goals against Romania and Colombia sent Cameroon into the quarter-finals.
There, the Indomitable Lions faced England and even led 2-1, on the brink of the semi-finals. A Gary Lineker penalty double forced extra time and eventually knocked Cameroon out (3-2), but the African side had already made history as the continent's first to reach the last eight.
The epilogue came in 1994: Milla laced up his boots again and scored against Russia at 42, becoming the oldest goalscorer in World Cup history. His legacy opened the door for Senegal, Ghana and Morocco, and for an African football that in 2026 is dreaming big once more.
Source: Wikipedia (Roger Milla; Cameroon national football team; 1990 FIFA World Cup).