Cameroonian soccer superstar Rigobert Song, after many twists and turns, has finally announced his World Cup squad, with Shanghai Shenhua's Bassogol making the cut and becoming the pride of the Chinese Super League. The fact that Basogo is playing alongside Shandong Taishan's Chinese Super League "foreigner" Sun Junhao has certainly added luster to the Chinese Super League's performance on the international stage.
Looking back on Basogo's soccer career, the 27-year-old stepped onto the World Cup stage for the first time, and although he had won the Africa Cup of Nations with the team, he regretted missing the 2018 World Cup. This selection is undoubtedly the best reward for his personal efforts.
Basogo has been an absolute mainstay in Cameroon's history, featuring in both Africa Cup of Nations and Qatar World Cup qualifiers. However, at the Africa Cup of Nations at the beginning of the year, he was relegated to the bench due to a dip in form and Cameroon failed to do well. After a coaching change, Basogo's inclusion in the list was quite a surprise to the Cameroonian media.
This year, Basogo did not get a chance to play for Cameroon. Cameroon's offense has been lackluster and even suffered a heartbreaking comeback against Burundi in a match against Tanzania. During a trip to South Korea in September, Cameroon lost back-to-back matches to Uzbekistan and South Korea, and the domestic media expressed dissatisfaction with Eto'o's soccer association and coaching staff.
Basogo had a poor run in African qualifiers in the second half of last year, only coming on as a substitute against Malawi in the first five rounds of the Top 40. In the Africa Cup of Nations at the beginning of the year, he made his debut but had a sluggish performance. This selection for the World Cup is undoubtedly a major turnaround for his career.
Basogo is likely to wait for his chance on the right wing. In the World Cup qualifiers and September warm-ups, coach Rigobert Song tried Verona's Redra and Brentford's Mbeumo, who will also be preferred for the World Cup. As for Basogo, he will need to work hard to capitalize on his substitute appearances.
In 2022, only two players have been selected for the World Cup finalists' list - Shandong Luneng's Sun Junhao and Shanghai Shenhua's Bassogo. Sun Zhunhao's selection is not surprising, but Bassogo's lucky move is more of a glimmer of hope that the Chinese Super League has found in the doldrums.
Upon learning of Basogo's selection, the club's management and head coach Wu Jingui and other senior executives congratulated him. With ten rounds left in the league, Basogo's chance to leave the team for the tournament is a big moment for him and for Shenhua.
This season, Basogo's performance at Shenhua has been in the spotlight. Despite the fact that he has suffered from salary arrears and a long period of shutdown status, he has remained in good playing form. Shenhua management and Coach Wu Jingui have full confidence in him and believe he deserves this World Cup tour.
Instead of traveling with the team to Chengdu, Basogo stayed in Shanghai, quietly awaiting his first World Cup trip. He will leave China to join the team in Qatar to start a new chapter in his career.
