Club N'Kono was born in
Dizangue. After playing in his country with
Canon Yaoundé and
Tonnerre Yaoundé he moved to Spain with
RCD Español in 1982, after solid performances in the
FIFA World Cup played in that country; he received the
France Football African Footballer of the Year award in that year, and also in 1979. N'Kono hardly ever missed a game while with the
Catalans, going on to make 333 competitive appearances. In the
1988–89 season, however, he was not able to help prevent the team's
La Liga relegation, and was eventually replaced by
Vicente Biurrun. and
CE L'Hospitalet. He retired in his 40s at
Club Bolívar from Bolivia, and subsequently returned to his main club as a goalkeeping coach, helping develop young talent and countryman
Carlos Kameni. N'Kono placed second in
IFFHS' "African Goalkeeper of the Century" elections, behind
Joseph-Antoine Bell.
International A
Cameroonian international for almost two decades, N'Kono was included in three
FIFA World Cup squads:
1982,
1990 and
1994. In the first tournament, he was the starter as the nation went out in the group stage without any defeats, while in the second they lost in the quarter-finals against
England. The 37-year-old N'Kono was called as backup to Bell in the last minute of the 1994 edition's preparations and did not play. ==Coaching career==