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Promising Rennes central defender Christopher Wooh is one of Cameroonian football’s greatest hopes. At 23, he dreams of following in the footsteps of Rigobert Song, a central defender like himself. In an interview with RFI, initiated by the Ligue de Football Professionnel, the Indomitable Lion spoke candidly about his current situation at Rennes, Samuel Eto’o, and of course the ever-growing ambitions of the Cameroonian national team.
This interview was first published by RFI
RFI: Your club Rennes hosts Saint-Étienne this Saturday (4pm GMT). Do you feel any pressure on this match after a difficult start to the season and a 15th place in Ligue 1?
Christopher Wooh:
Yes, of course, because we urgently need points. But we are working well, I feel that the group has regained some of its form and desire, so I think it will go well this weekend. In any case, I hope so.
RFI: You changed coaches with the replacement of Julien Stéphan by Jorge Sampaoli. There is a lot of talk about the Argentinian’s character. What impression has he made on you since his arrival?
Christopher Wooh:
He is a coach who has a lot of desire, which he transmits in training, in talks, in matches, so of course we want to put in the intensity. He is very positive, he wants to play well, to keep the ball, so it’s the game that everyone would like to play. With him, I already did a video review just after returning from international duty, we talked a bit about how to play without the ball and with the ball. It was very enriching. I try to build on that to continue to progress.
RFI: You are a central defender, and you often cite Clément Lenglet (French international on loan to Atlético Madrid from FC Barcelona) as a reference. How are you similar, or how do you need to improve to reach the level he is at?
Christopher Wooh:
First of all, we are similar in terms of our career path because we played in the same club in Chantilly. And then, we were trained at AS Nancy. And what I like about him is his technical quality. I think I have to improve on that, on his controls and his passes that break the lines. He is very efficient at this level. Then, I admire his career. He still played at Barça, he played for the France team and now he is at Atlético. So he is an example to follow. In my position, I also admire Rudiger from Real Madrid for his mentality and his desire to always want to “eat” his opponent. But today, for me, the best current defender in the world is William Saliba (Arsenal). In his serenity, in his concentration and above all in his ability to repeat good matches.
RFI: Let’s talk about the Cameroonian national team, you joined it in 2022. You could also have played for the France team. What motivated you to wear the Indomitable Lions jersey?
Christopher Wooh:
Since I was little, I saw my parents watch all of Cameroon’s matches and I always paid particular attention when Cameroon played, and France too. But it is true that during Cameroon’s matches, I always had this excitement of wanting them to win. And I always told myself, with my father, that if one day I had the choice, I would choose Cameroon. So as soon as the opportunity arose, especially when President Samuel Eto’o came to my house to solicit me, I did not hesitate. I directly said yes and I don’t regret it.
RFI: What is it like when you are facing Samuel Eto’o who is speaking to convince you to join Cameroon?
Christopher Wooh:
It’s true that when he told me he was going to Lens, I didn’t really believe it, frankly. Until the day he arrived and I met him. It made me weird to see him because as a Cameroonian, he is our national figure. And to see him talking to me, being in front of me, it was impressive. Usually, I see him on TV, and suddenly he’s in front of me. He has this ability to convince players, his career speaks for itself, and he also has ambition for the national team.
RFI: At that time, there was also Rigobert Song as coach. Having Eto’o as president and Song as coach must have been impressive…
Christopher Wooh:
Especially since Rigobert Song played in my position. He was really the national figure in this position, “the world number 4” as we say in the country. He is a great figure. He has this character trait that makes him passionate. He makes you want – like our current coach at Rennes – to want to fight for him and I am grateful for what he has done for me. I sign immediately to have the same career as him, especially his caps (137) for the Cameroon team and all the World Cups he played (four: 1994, 1998, 2002 and 2010).
RFI: Cameroon completed the CAN 2025 qualifiers without a single defeat (four wins, two draws). It was not won with the crisis between the Federation and the ministry. How did you manage this tension within the team during matches?
Christopher Wooh:
Since the new coach (Marc Brys) arrived, there have been a lot of misunderstandings, I would say. It was complicated, but frankly, I want to congratulate the whole team because despite that, we worked well, played well. Above all, we have rediscovered a game identity that suits us and frankly, I enjoy playing for the Cameroon national team. I think we can do great things if we continue like this.
RFI: However, Cameroon, considered an African giant, has not reached the semi-finals of the CAN since 2017. How do you explain this downgrade?
Christopher Wooh:
Already, I think there has been the emergence of many new nations which are performing very well. Today, the big teams like Senegal, Ivory Coast, Algeria, Morocco are tough. And there are other teams that are less put on the front of the stage like Burkina Faso or even the Comoros who are doing a good job. All the teams have their identity and there really are no more small teams as we have seen in recent CANs. Afterwards, it is true that there have been a lot of changes in Cameroon, but since the last CAN qualifiers and the start of the 2026 World Cup qualifiers, we have rediscovered beautiful football. And I think that the great Cameroon will return to the forefront.
RFI: Cameroon wins, but do you continue to see fear in the eyes of your opponents as in the past?
Christopher Wooh:
Yes, for me, we are still scary because of our history and because of the historic matches we have played. Even when we are behind, our opponents know that they are not immune to a comeback. Even at 0-2 or 0-3, Cameroon is always there to fight until the end of the match. There is always this history of Cameroon which means that we impose a little fear on our opponents.
RFI: The CAN is in a year. How do you see it? Which teams could thwart Cameroon’s ambitions?
Christopher Wooh:
As I said, since the new coach arrived, we have put in some very good performances. Good results and good content too. We were able to find a good identity, a very good group that lives very well together. If we continue like this – we know that football goes quickly, so in a year everything can change – but if we continue like this, I think we can go very, very far in this CAN. There will be no big favourites, perhaps Morocco who are at home and Ivory Coast who are the title holders.
