Table of Contents
- Nathan Doualla welcomed his professional football debut with insurmountable controversy
- The Victoria United player Wilfried Nathan Doualla was born on May 15, 2006
- Le Monde, a French daily, released a dossier claiming that Douala was 21
Nathan Doualla welcomed his professional football debut with insurmountable controversy that would have cost him his lifetime dream career.
The 18-year-old put on a brave face, much to the shock of many Cameroonian football fans. Today, he is a big name in Cameroon’s second division club, Victoria United.
Named after the Cameroonian capital city, Douala, the 18-year-old is the most promising footballer of his era. He admits that the level of fan support keeps him going.
Nathan Douala Profile
The Victoria United player Wilfried Nathan Doualla was born on May 15, 2006. He grew up in a community where football is worshipped.
He would excitedly play lots of football in school, where he attended numerous football sessions in junior teams, a common thing in Cameroon.
Douala says the football culture in his country encouraged him to remain focused on football while growing up.
Football legend Samuel Eto’o was and still is his role model. He wanted to be as successful as the Fecafoot president.
Nathan Doualla is a Cameroonian football player. There are questions about his real age as he says he is 18 years old. Photo/Marca
Below is his full bio.
| Full name | Wilfried Nathan Doualla |
| Age | 18 |
| Date of birth | May 15, 2006 |
| Place of birth | Douala, Cameroon |
| Nationality | Cameroonian |
| Career | Footballer |
| Height | 1.72 metres |
Nathan Doualla Real Age
Nathan Douala is 18 years old as of May 2025. His age is controversial following his suspension by Cameroon’s football federation, Fecafoot headed by Eto’o.
Fecafoot accused Doualla of falsifying his birth details to play in the 2023 Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) in Ivory Coast.
The federation, in a statement, said that Cameroon risked a permanent future ban from AFCON with such irregularities. He was among 62 players suspended by the federation last year over age cheating and having a double identity.
Former Cameroon coach Rigobert Song picked the teenager to join the team despite having never played internationally before.
Nathan Doualla is a Cameroonian football player. There are questions about his real age as he says he is 18 years old. Photo/Allez Les Lions
Doualla did not play in AFCON for Cameroon, but he was among the team’s squad for the tournament.
Song’s decision sparked a lot of talk across social media as sections of football fans doubted was 17, going by his photos.
Le Monde, a French daily, then released a dossier claiming that Douala was 21 and had previously held the name Alexandre Bardell, which he allegedly used to play in the Cameroon League.
The investigative piece by the French Daily further stated that Fecafoot never responded to its inquiries about Nathan Doualla and his real identity despite presenting its evidence.
The Confederation of African Football (CAF) penalises a national football federation of the country where forgery or fraud is committed.
It bans the respective country from playing in AFCON for two editions, which prompted Fecafoot to suspend Doualla and 61 others.
However, Fecafoot later in the year cleared Doualla to play in Cameroon’s Elite One playoffs without giving details of its decision to clear him after forgery claims which it had suspended Doualla for.
Doualla was among 14 players cleared from a previous 62-player list suspended by Fecafoot.
His club, Victoria United, urged fans to support Doualla, noting that Fecafoot proved beyond a reasonable doubt that the player had no double identity as previously alleged.
Bernard Tchoutang, a retired international footballer from Cameroon, explained that Bardelli was Doualla’s brother, but he is now deceased.
He said that Le Monde failed in its fact-checking while investigating Doualla’s real age.
