Lauren (footballer)
Laureano Bisan Etamé-Mayer (born 19 January 1977 in Kribi), commonly known as Lauren, is a retired Cameroonian footballer of Equatoguinean origin, who formerly played for the Cameroonian national team. As an Arsenal player he won several trophies and is known as one of the 'Invincibles'; a title given to the Arsenal squad in 2004, after they went the whole (2003–04) season undefeated and subsequently won the Premier League title. He also won an Olympic Gold Medal at the 2000 Sydney Olympics with Cameroon. He also holds Spanish citizenship due to being raised in Spain.
Club career
Early career
Lauren was born in Cameroon as his parents fled Equatorial Guinea, due to the political persecution during the dictatorship of Francisco Macías Nguema. Then the family moved to Seville, where he was raised. He started his career in Spain, playing for Utrera, (on loan from Sevilla), San Fernando, Sevilla, Levante, and Mallorca. Whilst at Mallorca he played in the 1999 UEFA Cup Winners' Cup Final. He qualified for dual nationality through residency and as a Spaniard, he is exempt from the post-Bosman ruling regulation that restricts the number of non-EU players to three per team in UEFA competition matches even though he is a Cameroonian international.
