Young Ghanaian soccer prodigy in shines England

January 29, 2011
Sunyani, (B/A) Jan. 29, GNA - A young unsung Ghanaian teenage football prodigy, Ebenezer Opoku of Brong-Ahafo parentage is presently doing wonders at the junior level in England.

The soccer ace who features for the Under-14 side of Bracknell Town Junior F.C. lives with his mother at Bracknell, an English town near Heathrow in London.

The prowess of the striker, who is sometimes used in defense by his team because of his utility capabilities, might not have caught the attention of Ghana's football authorities but as it is always said, "better late than never" and the earlier the Ghana Football Association (GFA) junior team's selection committee goes searching for him the better.

According to the Bracknell FC's official website: www.pitchero.com/clubs/bracknellfc, Opoku's performance in its matches has been very spectacular and the match statistics for last year indicates so.

Out of eight match appearances for his Club, Opoku has won the "Man of the match" accolade on three occasions, scored 16 goals, on the average two goals per match, and assisted in one goal scored by a team colleague.

A performance table on the website about the team's 16 players at that level is built around the number of matches played, man of the match won, number of goals scored and number of times assisted in goal scoring.

Opoku who tops the table has distinguished himself with the 16 goals notwithstanding the fact that he has featured in only eight matches, as compared with the higher number of 13 matches that the last player on the table has featured in.

The table shows that Opoku's total performance points accumulation is 97, representing 12.1 percent whilst that of the second, third and fourth players respectively are 60, 44 and 42, implying percentages of 5.0, 4.0 and 3.2.

This therefore establishes the fact that Opoku is comparatively an extra-ordinary player among his equals.

Interestingly this young soccer maestro is so valued by his Club that management has deemed it not proper to make his profile and that of other colleagues known to the general public to prevent ay poaching.

This is based on the team's strict management policy stated on the website that "player profiles are hidden for this team".

Opoku thus adds to the exploits of Brong Ahafo lads over the years' of their capability of producing soccer stars in the likes of Akwasi Owusu and Dan Owusu of Tano Bofoakwa fame in the 1970s, George Arthur, Sarah Mensah and Philip Opoku Sampene of B.A. United and Tano Bofoakwa.

The Brong Ahafo Region did not end its contribution of footballers to Ghana football as it is significant to note that all these players contributed their quota for the senior national team during their era.

Alex Opoku and Awudu Issaka of the 1991 and 1995 victorious Black Starlets teams, who are also from the Region, made their marks for the development of the most popular sport in the country.

Currently the nation's senior national team's number one striker Asamoah Gyan who is also an indigene of the Brong-Ahafo Region is proving his mettle for Sunderland FC in the English premiership.

GNA