Eighteen months ago, Christian Bassogog was a teenager 6,000 miles from home playing third-division soccer on a last-place team before crowds of 2,500 on Cape Fear in North Carolina.
On Sunday, the Cameroonian winger was basking in the global glow of winning the African championship and being named the top player in the tournament.
From Wilmington Hammerhead to Indomitable Lion, Bassogog followed an unlikely trail to soccer fame and positioned himself for a greater leap in the months to come.
Bolstered by the unknown right wing, rebuilding Cameroon completed an implausible dash to the Africa Cup of Nations trophy by defeating Egypt, 2-1, in Libreville, Gabon — its first title in 15 years and fifth since the competition began in 1957.