It is about the possibility of the country finally developing a new generation of elite attacking talent.
Bassong knows what elite football looks like. During a career that took him through the Premier League with Newcastle United and Tottenham Hotspur, the former defender competed alongside and against some of the best players of his era. So when he speaks glowingly about Eyong and fellow young Cameroonian talent Christian Kofane, people inside Cameroonian football pay attention.
“Oh yeah, as a Cameroonian player, of course,” Bassong told Football Presse when asked about Eyong.
“He’s one of them. It’s been many, many years since we’ve had that kind of promising striker.”
Eyong’s rise with Levante UD has quietly attracted growing attention across Europe. Powerful, mobile and instinctive around goal, the young forward has emerged as one of the standout attacking prospects from Cameroon’s new generation, even if his pathway has not always been smooth.
Bassong believes that is perfectly normal.
“Him and Christian Kofane, I think they’re part of a group where we have really big hopes for them,” he explained to Football Presse on behalf of Betgoodwin.
“They’re good players. They’re still developing, but they show really good signs.”
For a football nation whose attacking history includes icons like Roger Milla and Samuel Eto'o, comparisons and expectations inevitably arrive quickly. But Bassong is determined not to burden Eyong too early.
“I wouldn’t put pressure on him,” he said. “He has to develop himself and keep playing week in, week out. Then who knows where he could end up?”
What impressed Bassong most was not simply Eyong’s technical quality, but the mindset required to maximise potential.
“For every player, the sky is the limit,” he continued.
“As long as you understand what is required to move up levels, you can’t really put a ceiling on a player.”
Bassong believes strikers in particular can rise rapidly if they manage momentum correctly.
“A striker’s career can change very quickly,” he explained.
“You have one good season, then you get a move, and if you handle that move properly, it can take you to another dimension.”
Eyong’s development has not been entirely linear, and questions have occasionally been raised about why certain spells in his early career did not immediately explode into bigger opportunities. But Bassong rejects the idea that slower progression should be viewed negatively.
“It’s timing,” he said.
“If I plant two or three seeds at the same time, they’re not all going to blossom at the same time.
“Sometimes players need lessons. I don’t call it failure.”
That perspective perhaps explains why Bassong sounds so calm discussing Eyong’s future. He is not interested in rushing the process or creating impossible expectations. Instead, he sees a young striker with the talent to go very far — if his development is handled correctly.
And for Cameroon, that alone is enough reason for excitement.