Lioness, Takounda, joins Turkish topflight club.

The arrival to the 25-year-old to the team takes the number of Cameroonians in the Turkish championship this season to three, after forwards Ngah Manga of Galatasaray and Fadimatou Aretouyap of Besiktas. 

The Vatan Spor deal also marks the return of the young forward to the Turkish first division championship, a competition that she has called hers in recent years.

Takounda became a known face in the Turkish league after joining Istanbul outfit, Beylerbeyi SK, in 2023, from German women’s second division club, Hamburger SV.

The move to Vatan Spor is expected to help the young attacker to her best form after the career-threatening injury that reportedly disrupted her stay at the Beylerbeyi SK team and later orchestrated her premature exit from the team. 

The arrival of the former Under17 FIFA Women’s World Cup star is equally regarded as a right move on the right direction toward strengthening Vatan Spor as the club looks to boost its performances.

The team managed by Turkish trainer, Hilmi Buguner, has had a promising start in the domestic championship this season. 

The team currently sits seventh on the tentative standing of the 16-team competition after winning one, drawing one and losing one of its three matches with the lone lost coming on the hands of Galatasaray women’s football club where Indomitable Lionesses forward, Ngah Gisele Manga leads goal-scoring operations.

The forward is expected to make her debut for Vatan Spor on Saturday October 11 when the club takes on 10th-placed Giresun Sanayispor. 

Takounda began her professional career with Cameroon women’s first division championship team Éclair Football Filles where she notably won the Guinness Super League top scorer award after powering in a mind-blowing 32 goals during the 2017/2018 campaign.

She has since grown through the ranks to ply her trade with some of Europe’s prominent teams including Swedish women’s first division championship outfit, Djurgardens football club where she made 16 appearances during the 2021/2022 campaign.

The young forward’s performances and rise at the club level earned her call ups and appearances in the Under17 women’s national football team and the senior women’s national selection. 

She scored once while representing Cameroon during the 2016 Under17 FIFA Women’s World Cup tournament in Jordan where Cameroon made its maiden appearance in the global age group women’s showpiece since the event was introduced in 2008. 

Takounda dragged Cameroon along during the qualifying series to the 2016 tournament after scoring four of the overall nine goals that the U17 Lionesses powered in during the qualification campaign.

She made her debut appearance in the senior national team in 2019 after featuring in the outfit’s game against New Zealand during the 2019 FIFA Women’s World Cup in France where she was one of the youngest members of the Cameroonian delegation and the entire tournament.

This article was first published in The Guardian Post Edition No:3589 of Thursday October 09, 2025