Top scorer of the Africa Cup plays for a Spanish third division club

'Nsue performs a miracle,' wrote the Spanish Diario AS after his two goals in Equatorial Guinea's huge upset against host country Ivory Coast. 

This came right after the makeshift striker scored a hat-trick against Guinea-Bissau, making him the oldest player ever to score three goals in a single match in the Africa Cup.

'Nsue was once again the most outstanding player of Equatorial Guinea. He remained perfectly calm in both goals and became the leader of the tournament's top scorers,' continued the Spanish newspaper. And that he is. With five goals, Nsue surpasses players like Mohamed Salah, Youssef En-Nesyri, Mohammed Kudus, and Bertrand Traoré.

Nsue's story is remarkable. He was born in Spain and grew up there. Nsue, who usually played as a right-winger or right midfielder, made his professional debut for Real Mallorca. He also represented Spain's youth national teams, achieving significant success. In both 2007 and 2011, Nsue was part of the squad that won the European Championship.

In 2013, Nsue decided not to represent Spain anymore but to play for Equatorial Guinea, the country where his father comes from. By that time, he had already made a name for himself at Real Mallorca, which allowed Nsue to make his debut for the national team of the African country in a friendly match against Benin in 2013, wearing the captain's armband. In his first official international appearance, he immediately became the hero with a hat-trick against Cape Verde, in a match that ended in a 4-3 victory.

However, it was later revealed that Nsue was not eligible to play, resulting in the match being converted into a 0-3 defeat. Meanwhile, he was also making strides in club football. After stints at Real Sociedad, CD Castellón, and Middlesbrough, he ended up at Birmingham City. After a few successful years, his career took a downturn, leading to adventures in Cyprus and Bosnia and Herzegovina before joining the Spanish third-division club Intercity FC.

At the age of 34, Nsue typically plays as a right-back at Intercity FC. However, Equatorial Guinea sees him as the perfect striker, and this tournament is where he's showing why. He now has eighteen goals in thirty international matches, a feat that has also caught the attention in Spain. 'He has a love affair with goals,' wrote Mundo Deportivo. 'He continues to perform well in the Africa Cup.' As a group leader, Equatorial Guinea has qualified for the knockout stage, and Nsue hopes to extend his successful campaign further.