Etame Mayer Lauren is a professional player who was born on January 19, 1977 in Londi Kribi, Cameroon. Living in Radlett, Hertfordshire, he is married and the couple has a daughter.
When he was playing for Levante during the 1997-1998 season, the legendary goalkeeper, Thomas N’Kono came to know about his eligibility to represent Cameroon. Etame Mayer Lauren plays for Cameroon at the international level and has been a regular member of the national side since 1998. Soon, Etame Mayer Lauren was invited to join the squad that played in the 1998 Fédération Internationale de Football Association (FIFA) World Cup. He won his first full international cap for Cameroon in May 1998 in a match against Luxembourg.
Etame Mayer Lauren was a part of the team that went on to win the 2000 African Nations Cup and he was named African Nations Cup Player of the Tournament 2000 for his brilliant performance. He also featured in the national team that won the gold medal at the 2000 Olympics after defeating Spain in the finals. He was chosen in the team that played in the 2002 African Nations Cup and Cameroon lifted the cup by defeating Senegal on penalties after a 0-0 draw and Etame Mayer Lauren scored a goal during the penalty shootout. He was also given the call to play in the three matches that Cameroon featured at the 2002 FIFA World Cup.
Etame Mayer Lauren started his professional football career in 1995 by playing for the Utrera football club and scored five goals from the 30 games he played for the club during the 1995-1996 season. The following season, he signed to play for Sevilla B and made seventeen appearances that included three goal-scoring occasions. He spent the 1997-1998 season with the Levante Unión Deportiva football club playing thirty four games and netted four goals. The next two years saw Etame Mayer Lauren appearing in sixty two games for the Spanish football club, Real Club Deportivo Mallorca.
In the summer of 2000, Etame Mayer Lauren signed to play for Arsenal for a transfer fee of £7,200,000. He made his debut for the club on August 19, 2000 in a match against Sunderland. During the 2002-2003 season, he was a part of the team that won the Football Association Challenge (FA) Cup winners medal after defeating Southampton 1-0 in the finals. In the next season, he made his 150th appearance for Arsenal and was a part of the team that won the League winners medal in the Premier League. His first FA Cup medal came in 2005 as Arsenal defeated Manchester United on penalties after a 0-0 draw in the final, in which he scored the first penalty goal.
On January 18, 2007, Etame Mayer Lauren signed to play for Portsmouth on a two-and-a-half year contract that was worth £500,000, and this defender was given the squad number 4. He made his first Premiership appearance for Portsmouth in midfield against Charlton Athletic. Etame Mayer Lauren earned his a place in the first team because of his versatility and played regularly for the club in January 2008.
Etame Mayer Lauren appears regularly on Sky Sports' La Liga programme, “Revista de la Liga” along with Guillem Balague and Roberto Martínez. Apart from playing football, he is also enthusiastic about boxing and enjoys sparring during his leisure time.
