View source for Joseph-Antoine Bell

{{short description|Cameroonian footballer (born 1954)}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=February 2022}}
{{Infobox football biography
| name = Joseph-Antoine Bell
| image = 
| full_name = 
| birth_date = {{birth date and age|1954|10|8|df=y}}
| birth_place = [[Mouandé]], Cameroon<ref name=nft>{{NFT player|pid=14809}}</ref>
| height = 1.82 m<ref name=nft/>
| position = [[Goalkeeper (association football)|Goalkeeper]]
| currentclub = 
| youthyears1 = 
| youthclubs1 = 
| years1 = 1975–1981
| years2 = 1981–1983
| years3 = 1983–1985
| years4 = 1985–1988
| years5 = 1988–1989
| years6 = 1989–1991
| years7 = 1991–1994
| years8 = 
| clubs1 = [[Union Douala]]
| clubs2 = [[Africa Sports National|Africa Sports]]
| clubs3 = [[Al Mokawloon Al Arab SC|Al Mokawloon Al Arab]]
| clubs4 = [[Olympique de Marseille|Marseille]]
| clubs5 = [[Sporting Toulon Var|Toulon]]
| clubs6 = [[FC Girondins de Bordeaux|Bordeaux]]
| clubs7 = [[AS Saint-Étienne|Saint-Étienne]]
| clubs8 = 
| caps1 = 
| caps2 = 
| caps3 = 
| caps4 = 109
| caps5 = 31
| caps6 = 75
| caps7 = 99
| goals1 = 
| goals2 = 
| goals3 = 
| goals4 = 0
| goals5 = 0
| goals6 = 0
| goals7 = 0
| nationalyears1 = 1977–1994
| nationalteam1 = [[Cameroon national football team|Cameroon]]<ref>[https://www.rsssf.org/miscellaneous/kam-bell-intl.html Joseph-Antoine Bell - International Appearances]</ref>
| nationalcaps1 = 50
| nationalgoals1 = 1
| medaltemplates = {{MedalSport|Men's [[association football|football]]}}
{{MedalCountry|{{fb|CMR}}}}
{{MedalCompetition|[[Africa Cup of Nations]]}}
{{Medal|W|[[1984 African Cup of Nations|1984 Ivory Coast]]|}}
{{Medal|W|[[1988 African Cup of Nations|1988 Morocco]]|}}
}}

'''Joseph-Antoine Bell''' (born 8 October 1954), sometimes referred to as '''JoJo Bell''', is a Cameroonian former professional footballer who played as a [[Goalkeeper (association football)|goalkeeper]]. In a 20-year career, he played in his native Cameroon as well as in the Ivory Coast and Egypt before moving to France, where he played for several top-level clubs including [[Olympique de Marseille|Marseille]], [[FC Girondins de Bordeaux|Bordeaux]] and eventually ending his playing career with [[AS Saint-Étienne|Saint-Étienne]]. He played for the [[Cameroon national football team|national team]] in three World Cups ([[1982 FIFA World Cup|1982]], [[1990 FIFA World Cup|1990]], [[1994 FIFA World Cup|1994]]), the [[Football at the 1984 Summer Olympics|1984 Summer Olympics]] and several [[African Cup of Nations]].

== Club career ==
Bell was born in [[Mouandé]]. He started his career in Eclair Douale then Oryx Douala and Prisons Buea before[[Union Douala]] in Cameroon, where he spent the years 1975 to 1981. He then moved to [[Africa Sports National]], staying there for two seasons. From 1983 to 1985 he played for [[Al-Mokawloon al-Arab]] in Egypt.<ref name=nft/>

By the time he went to France to play, he was already 31 years old. He played for [[Olympique de Marseille]] from 1985 to 1988, playing 36, 38, and 35 league matches in each of his three seasons there. He then spent one season at [[Sporting Toulon Var]], playing 31 matches. Two years at [[FC Girondins de Bordeaux]] followed, where he played 38 matches in 1989–90 and 37 matches in 1990–91. He ended his playing career with [[AS Saint-Étienne]], where he played 35 matches in 1991–92 and 38 matches in 1992–93, but only 26 matches in 1993–94.<ref name=nft/>

Bell, in joining the campaign United Against Malaria in 2009, stated that "[[malaria]] ... affected his playing".<ref>{{cite news|url=http://allafrica.com/stories/200912030048.html|title=Campaign to Unite Against Malaria Kicks Off|last=Bamjee-Mayet|first=Saaleha|date=2 December 2009|work=AllAfrica.com|access-date=25 December 2009}}</ref>

== International career ==
For the [[Cameroon national football team|national team]], Bell was in the squads at the [[1982 FIFA World Cup|1982]] and [[1990 FIFA World Cup]] but did not play any matches. He was also selected for the squad for the [[1994 FIFA World Cup]] where he eventually made his debut, playing in two of Cameroon's group matches.<ref>{{usurped|1=[https://web.archive.org/web/20050122082829/http://www.worldcup-history.com/index.php?siden=spiller&spilleren=josebell Profile]}} on Worldcup-History.com</ref> After Cameroon's elimination in 1994, enraged fans [[Arson|set fire]] on Bell's house in [[Douala]].<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.elpais.com/articulo/deportes/SELECCIoN_DE_FuTBOL_DE_CAMERuN/MUNDIALES_1994_ESTADOS_UNIDOS/Queman/casa/Bell/Camerun/elpepidep/19940701elpepidep_7/Tes/|title=Queman la casa de Bell en Camerún|language=es|work=El País |date=1 July 1994|access-date=2010-07-18}}</ref> Bell also played at the [[Football at the 1984 Summer Olympics|1984 Summer Olympics]], and was on Cameroon's winning team in the [[1984 African Cup of Nations|1984]] and [[1988 African Cup of Nations]].<ref name=sref>{{cite web|url=https://www.sports-reference.com/olympics/athletes/be/joseph-antoine-bell-1.html|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200418044740/https://www.sports-reference.com/olympics/athletes/be/joseph-antoine-bell-1.html|url-status=dead|archive-date=18 April 2020|title=Joseph-Antoine Bell|publisher=Sports-Reference.com|access-date=26 December 2009}}</ref> At international level, though, he was second-choice goalkeeper after [[Thomas N'Kono]] for many years.{{Citation needed|date=December 2009}}

== Style of play ==
Considered to be one of the greatest African goalkeepers of all time, Bell often acted as a [[Goalkeeper (association football)#Sweeper-keeper|sweeper-keeper]], and was known for his ability to rush out of the box to sweep up the ball when his team played with a high defensive line.<ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.theguardian.com/football/blog/2018/sep/07/david-de-gea-manchester-united-spain-goalkeeper |title=Why is David de Gea exceptional for United and indifferent for Spain? |work=The Guardian |last1=Wilson |first1=Jonathan |date=7 September 2018 |access-date=4 April 2021 }}</ref>

== Honours ==
'''Union Douala'''
* [[CAF Champions League]]: 1979

'''Al-Mokawloon al-Arab'''
* [[African Cup Winners' Cup]]: 1982, 1983
* [[Egyptian Premier League]]: 1983

'''Individual'''

Bell was named "African Goalkeeper of the Century" by [[IFFHS]], as part of their "Century Elections". Cameroon had three goalkeepers among the top six, with Thomas N'Kono being second and [[Jacques Songo'o]] being sixth. [[Sadok Sassi|Sadok Attouga]] was third, [[Badou Ezzaki]] was fourth and [[Mwemba Kazadi]] was fifth.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.rsssf.org/miscellaneous/iffhs-century.html|title=IFFHS' Century Elections|publisher=[[Rec.Sport.Soccer Statistics Foundation]]|access-date=25 December 2009}}</ref>

== References ==
{{Reflist}}

{{1984 Africa Cup of Nations Team of the Tournament}}
{{1988 Africa Cup of Nations Team of the Tournament}}
{{Cameroon squad 1982 FIFA World Cup}}
{{Cameroon football squad 1984 Summer Olympics}}
{{Cameroon squad 1988 African Cup of Nations}}
{{Cameroon squad 1990 FIFA World Cup}}
{{Cameroon squad 1992 African Cup of Nations}}
{{Cameroon squad 1994 FIFA World Cup}}

{{Authority control}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Bell, Joseph Antoine}}
[[Category:1954 births]]
[[Category:Living people]]
[[Category:Cameroonian men's footballers]]
[[Category:Cameroon men's international footballers]]
[[Category:French men's footballers]]
[[Category:Men's association football goalkeepers]]
[[Category:Ligue 1 players]]
[[Category:Olympique de Marseille players]]
[[Category:Expatriate men's footballers in France]]
[[Category:SC Toulon players]]
[[Category:FC Girondins de Bordeaux players]]
[[Category:AS Saint-Étienne players]]
[[Category:Olympic footballers for Cameroon]]
[[Category:Footballers at the 1984 Summer Olympics]]
[[Category:1982 FIFA World Cup players]]
[[Category:1990 FIFA World Cup players]]
[[Category:Cameroonian expatriate sportspeople in Egypt]]
[[Category:Cameroonian expatriate sportspeople in France]]
[[Category:Cameroonian expatriate sportspeople in Ivory Coast]]
[[Category:1994 FIFA World Cup players]]
[[Category:1984 African Cup of Nations players]]
[[Category:1988 African Cup of Nations players]]
[[Category:1992 African Cup of Nations players]]
[[Category:Africa Cup of Nations–winning players]]
[[Category:Al Mokawloon Al Arab SC players]]
[[Category:Africa Sports d'Abidjan players]]
[[Category:Expatriate men's footballers in Ivory Coast]]
[[Category:Expatriate men's footballers in Egypt]]
[[Category:Cameroonian expatriate men's footballers]]
[[Category:20th-century French sportsmen]]
[[Category:CAF Champions League–winning players]]