Former Zamalek manager Henri Michel was named as the new coach of Equatorial Guinea on Saturday.

The 63-year-old is set to lead the small former Spanish colony in its first African Cup of Nations in January 2012. Equatorial Guinea will co-host Africa’s premier tournament with Gabon.

“My ambition is to create a solid team that will be able to compete,” Michel said.

Equatorial Guinea is the seventh national team to be managed by Michel, after France, Cameroon, Morocco, UAE, Tunisia and Ivory Coast.

Michel had two spells with Egyptian giants Zamalek but could not make a notable impact.

Under his guidance, Zamalek reached the Egyptian Cup final in 2007, before losing to archrivals Ahli in a thrilling game. He left abruptly just before the start of the 2007-2008 season.

The Cairo club brought him back in 2009 but he was sacked seven matches into the season after a string of poor results.