After arriving at the beginning of the season at Simba SC from USM Alger, Léonel Ateba did not take long to win over the supporters of the Tanzanian club.
The Cameroonian striker is having a blast on the continental scene, as well as at the local level, with statistics that are flattering to say the least.
His record in the TotalEnergies CAF Confederation Cup is three goals and one assist in eight outings, while in the league, he has eight goals and two assists in 13 games played, including 11 as a starter.
He is one of the elements on which the Dar es Salaam team intends to rely to go and get the African trophy that has so far eluded them.
Moreover, the experience gleaned last season in the competition with the USMA by reaching the semi-finals should help the team in the quest for this continental glory.
As the knockout stages of African competitions are fast approaching, the player hopes to continue to shine, knowing that good statistics at the end of the season could reopen the doors of the Cameroonian national team, in the run-up to the next TotalEnergies CAF Africa Cup of Nations scheduled for December 21, 2025 to January 18, 2026 in Morocco.
The prestigious African competition would not be a new for the player who was already present in Rigobert Song’s squad during the last edition in Côte d’Ivoire, a selection that obtained following his remarkable performances in the Cameroonian league with the Dynamo Club of Douala.
In an interview with CAFOnline, Léonel Ateba looks back on his performances and talks about his goals both with Simba and on a personal level.
CAFOnline: What is life like in Dar es Salaam?Léonel Atéba: Life in Dar es Salaam is going pretty well, apart from the climate, which is a little different, here it is a little warmer. I think everything is going pretty well, I’ve adapted to the city, I’m pretty happy.
Having only arrived at the beginning of the season, you did not take long to impose yourself thanks to remarkable performances. What made it easier for you to integrate into this team?The integration happened very quickly because I had to bounce back quickly after leaving Algeria. There is also the coach (Fadlu Davids) who helped me a lot and my teammates, and that made things easy for me. Today, I’m like a fish in water, that is to say like someone who has lived here for a long time.
Tell us about your first impressions when you arrived in Simba. How were you received? The club’s ambitions, the atmosphere in the stadiums, did it surprise you?My first impressions were good, I was able to see how much football here is a beloved sport, the atmosphere in the stadiums, the love of the fans for the club already and for football. I wasn’t very surprised because I come from such a mythical club, USMA Algiers, which is a club that is very supported in the stadiums and outside, it was just a continuity for me.
Did the presence of your compatriot Che Malone, who arrived a season earlier, make things easier for you? Has he been/is he a good guide for you? I think his presence helped me because he helped me integrate easily. As soon as I arrived, we talked, he tried to talk to me and it was really easier for me. And then, too, I’m a professional player, I have to have this ability to adapt according to what comes in front of me.
On the pitch, he sometimes looks for you with long balls, as he did recently during the match against CS Sfaxien when you received the ball on the edge of the box to offer the goal pass to Jean Charles Ahoua. Is this relationship the same outside the Stadium?Yes, he’s a very sociable person, we get along well, whether it’s on or off the pitch. In addition, in Cameroon, we played together, so he knows the way I play, whether it’s on the balls in depth, he knows how I move on the pitch, he knows when he can look for me and find me on the pitch. So, this complicity is much easier because we know each other before here and it’s even easier on and off the stadium. So, this complicity is not new, we are just in continuity. When you know your teammate, it’s easier.
With two goals and an assist in the last three matches in the TotalEnergies CAF Confederation Cup, you have had a blast in this competition in recent weeks. How do you live this experience?You know, a competition like the Confederation Cup, it’s a very big competition where you have to give everything. It’s a new experience for me but I also think it’s still a continuity because I’ve known the competition elsewhere, it’s my fourth time to participate in this tournament and I’m still happy to be able to perform with the very big club that is Simba. Last year, with USMA, we reached the semi-finals despite the fact that we did not play against Renaissance de Berkane. For me, it’s just this consistency that I’m continuing because I also had very good performances on the Algerian side in this competition and today, I’m happy to be able to continue to help my team.
Does the fact that you played in this competition last year with USM Alger make your job easier?Obviously, the fact that I played in this competition with USMA made my job easier because you know, USMA is a club where there is a lot of pressure, the matches are always very lively, we reached the semi-finals. I think it’s a plus that I’m bringing back here for my team and so, on the pitch, I try to be as relaxed as possible and do what I have to do and as long as the team wins, I’m very happy.
What are your personal goals this season with the club and how do you plan to achieve them?When I arrived here, the club told me the objectives for the season, I set myself personal goals which are to do my best to finish at least in the top three of the scorers this season and also to go for at least one title because we are involved in three competitions: the CAF Cup, the Tanzanian championship and the Tanzania Cup. It’s a question for me to take at least one title among those and already finish this season in very good conditions with very good statistics that will allow me to continue the adventure next year or to find better. Otherwise, I feel very good here, I love what I do and I think that will still require work and discipline. That’s what will allow me to achieve this goal.
You were in the Indomitable Lions group at the last TotalEnergies CAF Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) in Côte d’Ivoire. Even if you didn’t have the chance to play matches, how did you experience the competition?The AFCON, I was able to live these emotions, it was a great experience that marked my life because it was a great chance for me to be there. I would like to be grateful for that because as you know, the AFCON is the biggest competition in Africa and to participate in it is so dear to me for someone who was coming out of the Cameroonian league. Maybe the fact that I didn’t play a match, it also taught me a lot because you don’t only learn by being on the pitch, but also off it. I’ve had time to live, to feel all this and it’s taught me a lot and I even think that’s what makes me today, the player I am, I hope I can still participate one day but I stay focused on my work and I let things happen.
Since your return from this competition, you have not been called up. Is participating in the next TotalEnergies CAF AFCON part of your ambitions?Yes, of course, participating in this AFCON is part of my ambitions but as I said above, I also prefer to focus on my work here in Simba, improving my statistics, being healthy, giving the best of myself on the pitch. I think that from there, it can allow me to participate in this AFCON. It’s one of my goals that I set for myself but afterwards, I let things happen and I continue to do things to the best of my ability.
What does a competition like the TotalEnergies CAF AFCON mean to you?I think that a competition like the AFCON is the best for any African footballer. I know so many who have played at a very high level in Europe and everywhere but who have not been able to participate in an Africa Cup of Nations finals. Today, I feel rather blessed to have been able to experience this competition and I think that these are memories that will mark me for life and as I say, it has helped me evolve today, I hope in any case, that one day, I will be able to play this competition again. That’s all I wish for myself.
Cameroon will play in Pool F with Ivory Coast, Gabon and Mozambique. What do you think your country’s chances are?I think that Cameroon is a football country, a very respected country. I think that when Cameroon participates in an African Cup already, it has every chance, everyone knows the history of Cameroon in the African Cup, it is a country that has proven itself, today, we are counted among the best in Africa and suddenly, by going there, the country has every chance of winning this competition. Again, we will have to go and show all the good that people think of this country, I think that Cameroon is well on its way to winning this AFCON, that’s in any case, what I wish for my country.
Simba and Yanga are shaking up Tanzanian football, tell us about the rivalry between the two clubs and tell us about your first derby.I think that today, it’s no longer hidden, Simba and Yanga, they are two great African clubs today who are in the top 10. This rivalry here in Tanzania, I think it’s what puts this championship at the top because it’s a great rivalry, when you see the love, when you see the tenacity that the fans put into it, it makes you dream. My first derby, I think it was another great experience, it’s true that I had to play a great derby in Algeria between Mouloudia and USM Alger, a derby that was very significant for my career, I saw how much football was loved in Algeria and when I arrived here, I wasn’t too surprised but I also understood that in Tanzania, Football is a very beloved sport, the fans love football a lot and this was confirmed by their presence on the pitch that day. Despite the fact that we lost, it was a great match, a great match and I just enjoyed it. Once again, I benefited from it, I think it’s one of the best derbies in Africa.
