Federico Bikoro
Bikoro with Equatorial Guinea in 2022
Personal information
Full name Frederico Bicoro Akieme Nchama[1][2][3]
Date of birth (1996-03-17) 17 March 1996 (age 27)
Place of birth Douala, Cameroon
Height 1.88 m (6 ft 2 in)[4]
Position(s) Central midfielder
Team information
Current team
 Club Africain
Number 33
Senior career*
Years Team Apps (Gls)
2013–2014 Akonangui
2015 Sony de Elá Nguema
2016 Cano Sport Academy
2017 Alcalá 9 (0)
2017–2018 SS Reyes 14 (1)
2018 Lorca 2 (0)
2018–2019 Teruel 30 (1)
2019–2022 Zaragoza 0 (0)
2020 → Badajoz (loan) 3 (0)
2020–2021 → Numancia (loan) 4 (0)
2021 → Badalona (loan) 13 (0)
2021–2022 → Hércules (loan) 22 (3)
2022–2023 Sandefjord 21 (1)
2023– Club Africain 6 (0)
International career‡
2013– Equatorial Guinea 47 (6)
*Club domestic league appearances and goals, correct as of 3 January 2024
‡ National team caps and goals, correct as of 9 January 2024

Frederico Bicoro Akieme Nchama (born 17 March 1996), known as Federico Bikoro, is a professional footballer who plays as a central midfielder for Tunisian Ligue Professionnelle 1 side Club Africain and the Equatorial Guinea national team.

Born in Cameroon, he plays for Equatorial Guinea at international level.

Early life

Bikoro was born in Douala, Cameroon to an Equatorial Guinean father and a Cameroonian mother.[5] When he was 15, his parents died in a traffic accident. In order to help his family economically he decided to abandon his studies and his intention to be a lawyer. He worked as a mason and carpenter before finally becoming a footballer.[6]

Club career

Bikoro began his career with Akonangui FC, where he was known as Sisinio. In 2015 he moved to Sony Elá Nguema, and played for the side in the CAF Champions League.[7] He also played in the Cano Sport Academy.

In September 2016, after impressing on a trial basis, Bikoro agreed to a two-year contract with Spanish Segunda División B team Recreativo de Huelva.[4] His deal could not be completed due to issues with his paperwork, and he instead signed for RSD Alcalá in Tercera División the following February.[8]

On 18 August 2017, Bikoro joined UD San Sebastián de los Reyes in the third division.[9] He scored his first goal for the club on 7 January of the following year, netting the equalizer in a 3–1 away win against SD Ponferradina.

On 31 January 2018, Bikoro signed for Lorca FC in Segunda División.[10] He played his first professional match on 11 March, starting and being sent off in a 1–3 loss at Real Zaragoza.[11]

On 24 July 2018, Bikoro joined CD Teruel in the third tier.[12] The following 11 June, he agreed to a four-year deal with Zaragoza in division two,[13] but was loaned to CD Badajoz on 16 January 2020.[14]

On 4 September 2020, Bikoro agreed to a one-year loan deal with CD Numancia, recently relegated to the third division.[15] The following 26 January, after appearing rarely, he moved to fellow league team CF Badalona also in a temporary deal.[16] In July 2021 he moved on loan to Hércules.[17]

After playing in Norway for Sandefjord,[18] he signed for Tunisian club Club Africain in September 2023.[19][20]

International career

Bikoro made his international debut for Equatorial Guinea national team on 4 September 2013, appearing in a non-FIFA friendly against Libya, which ended in a 1–1 draw.[7] His official debut for the side came on 6 June 2015, as he started in a 1–0 away win against Andorra.[21]

Bikoro scored his first international goal on 9 October 2017, netting his team's second in a 3–1 home win against Mauritius.[7]

International goals

Scores and results list Equatorial Guinea's goal tally first.[7]
No. Date Venue Opponent Score Result Competition
1. 9 October 2017 Estadio de Bata, Bata, Equatorial Guinea  Mauritius 2–1 3–1 Friendly
2. 10 October 2021 National Heroes Stadium, Lusaka, Zambia  Zambia 1–1 1–1 2022 FIFA World Cup qualification
3. 6 June 2022 Estadio de Malabo, Malabo, Equatorial Guinea  Libya 2–0 2–0 2023 Africa Cup of Nations qualification
4. 27 September 2022 Larbi Zaouli Stadium, Casablanca, Morocco  Togo 1–2 2–2 Friendly
5. 2–2
6. 24 March 2023 Estadio de Malabo, Malabo, Equatorial Guinea  Botswana 2–0 2–0 2023 Africa Cup of Nations qualification

Playing style

Mainly a central midfielder, he can also play as a winger.[22] Bikoro is a high intensity midfielder.[23]

Personal life

Bikoro is a devout Christian.[6]

References

  1. ^ "EQ. GUINEA" (PDF). Confederation of African Football.
  2. ^ "Resultados Fútbol".
  3. ^ "Competitions - 19th Edition of CAF Champions League - Team Details - Player Details". CAF. Retrieved 22 July 2019.[dead link]
  4. ^ a b "El Recreativo ficha al defensa internacional guineano Federico Bikoro" [Recreativo sign the Guinean international defender Federico Bikoro] (in Spanish). Mundo Deportivo. 8 September 2016. Retrieved 3 June 2017.
  5. ^ Giménez, Paco (21 July 2019). "Bikoro: "Yo trabajo pensando en que me quedaré en el Real Zaragoza"" (in Spanish). Heraldo Aragón. Retrieved 22 July 2019. My father was (Equatorial) Guinean and my mother was from Cameroon. At that time, they lived in Douala, Cameroon. I am the oldest of four brothers. My father's family is in Equatorial Guinea. My mother's, in Cameroon. I moved in 2015 to Guinea, to Malabo, when I was 19 years old. I studied French Literature in Cameroon. My goal, then, was to become a lawyer. But when I lost my parents, that hope was gone.
  6. ^ a b Valero, S. (21 July 2019). "Bikoro: "El fútbol me lo ha dado todo, me ha salvado a mí y a mi familia"" (in Spanish). El Periódico de Aragón. Retrieved 22 July 2019. I was going to study French Literature, I even did the entrance exam to the university, but everything changed because of the accident, because I had to find a way to earn a living, to eat and to bring food to my brothers. I did everything, with friends who were masons and carpenters I helped them and with the money they gave me we (my brothers and I) were going ahead at home. Yes (God is important in my life), I am a Christian and a very believer. Before my parents died they taught us to pray, to ask God, to have that faith and I in any situation of my life I know that he is by my side, I pray a lot and I thank him for everything.
  7. ^ a b c d "Federico Bikoro". National Football Teams. Benjamin Strack-Zimmermann. Retrieved 3 June 2017.
  8. ^ "La gran promesa africana del Recre acaba en el Alcalá" [The great African prospect of Recre ends up at Alcalá] (in Spanish). Diario de Huelva. 2 February 2017. Retrieved 3 June 2017.
  9. ^ "El defensa Bikoro ya es jugador de la U.D. Sanse" [The defender Bikoro already is an U.D. Sanse player] (in Spanish). UD SS Reyes. 21 August 2017. Retrieved 9 February 2018.
  10. ^ "El Lorca FC incorporó a Bikoro, internacional con Guinea" [Lorca FC signed Bikoro, international with Guinea] (in Spanish). Diario AS. 1 February 2018. Retrieved 9 February 2018.
  11. ^ "El Zaragoza se pasea ante el desahuciado Lorca" [Zaragoza route over the hopeless Lorca] (in Spanish). Diario AS. 11 March 2018. Retrieved 26 March 2018.
  12. ^ "Federico Bikoro, nuevo fichaje del CD Teruel" [Federico Bikoro, new signing of CD Teruel] (in Spanish). Diario de Teruel. 24 July 2018. Retrieved 4 September 2018.
  13. ^ "Bikoro, Mingotes y Etinof, primeras incorporaciones del Real Zaragoza" [Bikoro, Mingotes and Etinof, first additions of Real Zaragoza] (in Spanish). Real Zaragoza. 11 June 2019. Retrieved 17 July 2019.
  14. ^ "Acuerdo con el CD Badajoz para la cesión de Federico Bikoro" [Agreement with CD Badajoz for the loan of Federico Bikoro] (in Spanish). Real Zaragoza. 16 January 2020. Retrieved 19 August 2020.
  15. ^ "Acuerdo para la cesión de Federico Bikoro al Numancia" [Agreement for the loan of Federico Bikoro to Numancia] (in Spanish). Real Zaragoza. 4 September 2020. Retrieved 4 September 2020.
  16. ^ "Acuerdo con el Badalona para la cesión de Bikoro" [Agreement with Badalona for the loan of Bikoro] (in Spanish). Real Zaragoza. 26 January 2021. Retrieved 27 January 2021.
  17. ^ "Federico Bikoro llega cedido al Hércules". AS.com. 26 July 2021.
  18. ^ Federico Bikoro at Soccerway. Retrieved 5 May 2023. Edit this at Wikidata
  19. ^ fan, sport (13 September 2023). "Fréderic Bikoro signe au Club Africain".
  20. ^ "[Mercato] : Le CA signe Bikoro".
  21. ^ "The National Nzalang beats the national team of Andorra". Guinea Equatorial Press. 6 June 2016. Retrieved 9 February 2018.
  22. ^ "Profile" (in Spanish). Resultados Futbol. Retrieved 9 June 2017.
  23. ^ "Bikoro, el nuevo ídolo del Hércules". ElDesmarque Zaragoza (in Spanish). 15 September 2021. Retrieved 13 April 2022.

External links

Club Africain – current squad
Equatorial Guinea squads
Categories