WINDHOEK, DEC 9 – Eighteen-year-old Afena-Gyan only joined Roma back in January of this year, but he is already being spoken of as one of the most promising talents in Italian football, having made headlines on November 21 when he rose off the bench and scored his first two Serie A goals to help Roma win 2-0 away to Genoa.
It was just his third Serie A appearance, having also been a substitute against Cagliari on October 27 and Milan on October 31. The teenager made his mark with the Roma Primavera youth team this season, finding the net six times in just five games, before first team manager Jose Mourinho summoned him to the seniors.
Roma’s Felix Afena-Gyan (C) celebrates with teammates after scoring the opening goal during the Italian Serie A soccer match Genoa CFC vs AS Roma at Luigi Ferraris stadium in Genoa, Italy, 21 November 2021. EPA/SIMONE ARVEDA
Born in January 2003 in Sunyani, Afena-Gyan was still playing schoolboy football in Ghana until January 2021, when picked up by Roma via the EurAfrica FC Academy. Within a couple of months, he was already getting some training sessions and call-ups with the senior squad under former boss Paulo Fonseca, even though he had to wait for Mourinho to make his debut.
“I thank God for this opportunity he gave me [Mourinho], the team, the coach, the fans, players for their amazing support. I also want to say thank you Mom, she is in Ghana, I love you,” Afena-Gyan said after his showing against Genoa.
“Mourinho is a great person, a great manager and a great coach. He gives you the motivation to learn every day. I am very happy he is here. Tonight is a dream come true. It was my first goal, I was hoping for a very long time. I want to continue my performance, prove myself and do more in future.”
Mourinho added, “What impressed me the most was his cool head in front of goal. If he is not in terms of technique fantastic, he does have a strong mentality. You get these kids now who think they know everything, but he is humble and you can sense he just absorbs all this information from everyone around him. That’s fantastic.”
Roma will look to unleash Afena-Gyan in their next Serie A clash, which sees them host Spezia on the evening of Monday 13 December 2021. You can see the game LIVE on SuperSport Football, SuperSport Maximo 1 and SuperSport GOtv Select 1.
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See Felix Afena-Gyan in the following match live on SuperSport:
All times CAT
Monday 13 December
21:45: Roma v Spezia – LIVE on SuperSport Football, SuperSport Maximo 1 and SuperSport GOtv Select 1
MultiChoice Namibia
