Over the past 30 years, Ghana football followers have been blessed with eye-catching talents who carved their names in stone and operated from the wings.
Many showed early prospects and went ahead to leave last memories with fans and followers whilst others quickly left the scenes with their promises and talents evaporating with them.
Almost 20 years ago, Argentine supporters were bewitched by a teenage sensation who was lighting up the domestic scenes and providing excitement to fans in Rosario Central – Angel di Maria.
Cast in the mode of the ‘omnipotent’ El Fideo and bearing the prospects of this multiple award-winning Argentine balling wizard is the electrifying left winger Israel Amewu.
Son of the Member of Parliament for Hohoe Constituency in the Volta Region and Minister for Railways Development in Ghana Hon. John-Peter Amewu, Israel’s great talent has put him on a path to success.
Yet, without wishing to dismiss the inherent romance and brilliance of a position immortalised by the football of Mohammed Polo who draws no comparison to any modern-day Ghanaian player, the size and volume of the talent of Tema City FC’s prodigy is yet to be seen on the Ghanaian football horizon, at least in the last three decades.
Amewu is much more than just a wide man – he brings a package of grace and finesses to every position or role he is slotted into. He isn’t bound to a certain, specific role, as his versatility and skill-set allow him to operate both from the flanks and also as an attacking midfielder.
He has a remarkable capacity to link up one line of a team to another, starting either as a forward or in midfield, and functioning as a bridge from one to the other.
He is described by Tema City FC as “a creative player with very good technique on the ball, mobility, acceleration skills, fast direction shifts, short-dribbling, and good short-mid through passing ability.”
But, unlike Di Maria whom many quickly dismiss for his unfootball-like stature, Amewu’s key physicality and body type are a key requisite for such a workaholic role. Standing at 1.82m, he is a tall player with a decent body mass ratio, physical strength, power, stamina, and the natural fitness that allows him to be brutally operational at what he does.
2 years ago, Accra fans were privileged to watch the then 16-year-old dominate and rip the Ghana U20 defence apart as he created a host of great scoring chances to aid his side to record a deserving 2-1 victory over the Black Satellites.
