Excerpt from the chapter Out of the Shade
Roger Milla waited nervously on the bench, watching the Romanians’ attacking play while studying each of their midfielders and defenders, looking for weaknesses. When his chance came - and he knew it would be for only a short spell - he wanted to exploit every hole in their defense to score his maiden World Cup goal. He felt relieved when the halftime whistle blew.
According to coach Valeri, he could be introduced into the match at any point after the interval. During the break, Milla spoke with teammates to understand the realities on the field - it was hard to fully assess a game from the sidelines. He also spoke with N’Kono, praising his heroic work between the goalposts. If those two saves had not been made, Milla told him, the team’s morale might already have been in shambles.
Though he did not say it aloud, Milla also appreciated Paul Biya’s judgment in removing Joseph Bell - something he might have orchestrated behind the scenes after Bell publicly disparaged the team - and placing N’Kono as the main goalkeeper. After the second half began, Milla started warming up, one eye on the game and one ear tuned for coach Valeri’s call. It came in the 59th minute. The flag was raised for Emmanuel Kessack to come off the field, and Roger Milla stood at the touchline waiting for Kessack to exit.
At that moment, no one in the stadium - and none of the millions watching the game on television around the world - recognized who was about to enter the field. It looked like a routine substitution, except to many back in Cameroon, who believed the old man still had something left in him to give to the nation’s glory, just as their president believed.