Launched by Jose Mourinho in 74 minutes against Genoa, the young Afena-Gyan even played a decisive role in two goals in Roma’s 2-0 win, prompting the Portuguese coach to praise the striker.
It was only the third appearance of the young Ghanaian after being used as a replacement in Roma’s recent meetings against Cagliari and Milan, but Felix Afen-Gyan’s story with Giallorossi started more long ago.
Born in 2003 in Sunyani, Ghana, the young player became a Roma fanatic when he saw the team knock Barcelona out of the Champions League after recovering from a 4-1 deficit at Camp Nou in April 2018. This is the first sign of interest. which brings together the history of the club and the player.
But it wasn’t until January this year, when the Morgan De Sanctis scout went to the EurAfrica FC academy on a mission to identify young talent, that the 18-year-old caught the attention of the Italian club’s officials, who eventually signed the contract. it is valid until 2023.
In the end, the player went to Italy to play for Roma, even took part in training and received several calls from then-coach Paulo Fonseca. His first-team debut has been kept for this season in the hands of Mourinho, a coach whom Afena-Gyan has as a benchmark.
With Roma U19, the player has conceded six goals in five games this season, thanks to the performance that earned him his first call to the Ghana national team on 4 November, as he has yet to complete his international debut.
At the age of 18, the fast striker has proven his qualities and earned the Portuguese coach’s trust for his physical capabilities and the versatility that he has, being able to play from various positions in attack. At the moment, Afena-Gyan is already paying the expenses of Jose Mourinho, who has promised to offer him shoes worth 800 euros in case the player scores against Genoa. Let’s see if the investment of the Portuguese coach will pay off in the next games.
