U-23 AFCON Qualifiers: Trademark Fatawu brilliance instructive
Ghanaian wonderkid Fatawu Issahaku has got the world talking again. The Black Meteors, Ghana’s U-23 national team, played Algeria away yesterday in an AFCON qualifier and the game ended 1-1. Fatawu opened scoring with a goal any player in the world would dream of. Yet again, he lobbed the goalkeeper from his own half and threw the stadium into frenzy.
This is not the first time he has conjured this. In his young international career, the boy-wonder who now plays for Sporting CP has done so on three occasions. The first came in a trial game for the national U-17 side, Black Starlets at Prampram in Accra. The second came against Tanzania in the 2021 U-20 AFCON in Mauritania. Then this jawd-dropping effort that perhaps tops the others.
One thing is certain now – this is no fluke. The boy has mastered his art with elegant execution. It is a skill brimming with technique and sufficient power and direction. He has a ferocious left foot that is not shy of shooting from distance. Often deployed on the right side of midfield, the precocious talent has the knack for cutting in and going for a curler or power.
His evolution has been meteoric. A gifted youngster needs a short period to announce himself. Tamale Zaytuna, Tamale Utrecht, Tamale Steadfast, Dreams FC and now Sporting, spanning his his days in juvenile football till now, have all witnessed his gift. At Steadfast especially, there was always something special in every game. He scored many goals and was exciting to watch in one-on-one situations.
Being best player in the aforementioned youth tournament is a big deal. It duely won him a place in the Black Stars and saw him thrust onto the field against Nigeria in a crucial World Cup playoff, and ultimately go to the mundial. His stint with the senior side has been to varied opinions. The expected voice of being rushed was louder than those who were for his call.
In hindsight, his time thus far could have been much better given the promise he wields. However, time and patience are inevitable commodities he needs. Good thing is that he is still able to prove himself in the youth teams. Fatawu deserves special attention even by the GFA. In times past, great talents have been lost to oblivion due to popular neglect. It is time to curb that.
World football history is laden with an embarrassment of wasted talent. True, the buck stops with the player and his immediate management team. Potential alone is not enough. Work ethic and discipline are indispensable. Fatawu has a bright future with Ghana and club football. For now though, he is a work in progress and not a finished article.
By: Rossoneri Selecao
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