Called up for the CAF Africa Cup of Nations in January, the rangy German-born striker was ultimately unable to travel due to administrative reasons. He will therefore be anxious to make up for lost time at the 2010 FIFA World Cup South Africa™.

Born in Hamburg to a German mother and a Cameroonian father in 1989, Eric Choupo-Moting gained his grounding in the game at local club HSV, and after three years in the youth ranks made his Bundesliga debut in August 2007. With his burgeoning talent already obvious, he was selected to represent Germany at various youth levels.


His club career was proving somewhat frustrating, however, as his contribution tended to be limited to late substitute appearances, so in the summer of 2009 he was loaned out to Nuremburg. It proved a shrewd move, and despite playing in an unfamiliar role on the left wing, he weighed in with five goals and seven assists in 25 outings to earn a spot in Paul Le Guen’s initial list of 30 players for South Africa.

It then took him just a few days to prove he deserved a place in the final 23-man squad. A powerful presence as well as a gifted dribbler, the shy 21-year-old is now ready to start his senior international career on the biggest stage of all.