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Achille Emana Edzimbi is a Cameroonian football attacking midfielder who currently plays for Spanish Segunda División side Real Betis. He can also play as a defensive midfielder.
Emana began his European club career at Spanish giants Valencia, where he rose through the academy ranks, before joining French Ligue 1 side Toulouse in 2000. In 2001 he joined the Toulouse first team, and quickly established himself in the starting eleven as an attacking midfielder.
Emana has reportedly attracted interest from French giants Olympique Lyonnais and Olympique de Marseille following his impressive displays for his club
In 2007 Emana was strongly linked with English Premiership club Portsmouth, where he would have joined a large contingent of African players. His chances of a move were quashed, however, when he was unable to obtain a work permit. He eventually signed a contract extension to 2010 with Toulouse.
In spring 2008 it was reported that there was interest in Emana from other clubs around Europe, including English Premiership sides West Ham United, and Newcastle United[7], whilst Spanish La Liga outfit FC Sevilla were also said to be tracking the Cameroonian.
On June 11, 2008 it was reported that Spanish La Liga side Real Betis were negotiating with Toulouse for the services of Emana. The midfielder was quoted as being keen to secure a move to Spain to further his career, although his current club had apparently already rejected two bids for his signature.
on 22 July Emana finally completed his move to Real Betis for a fee believed to be £5.5m. He was assigned the number 20 shirt for the Andalusians, and scored his first goal for the club in a 3-0 win over RCD Mallorca.[10] Unfortunately, Betis were relegated on the last day of the 2008/09 season despite Emana's 11 goals and 7 assists in the league, a goal tally that meant he finished top scorer for the club.
He has recently been linked with Blackburn Rovers, Birmingham City and Bolton Wanderers of the English Premier League, and Rangers in Scotland.
He was a member of the Cameroon for the 2003 Confederations Cup, as well as the 2006 African Nations Cup squad, where his side exited in the quarter-finals.
In the 2008 African Cup of Nations, Emana scored his only goal in the tournament,scoring a goal during Cameroon's 5-1 score against Zambia. During Cameroon's 2010 World Cup qualification match against Gabon,Emana scored a goal in the 66th minute,which was followed by a goal from Samuel Eto'o just 2 minutes later.
In the 2010 African Nations Cup, Emana scored his only goal in the tournament,scoring a goal from a corner-kick during Cameroon's 1-3 loss against Egypt.
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