Felix Afena Gyan: Jose Mourinho hands Ghanaian teen AS Roma senior debut in serie A

Felix Afena Gyan: Jose Mourinho hands Ghanaian teen AS Roma senior debut in serie A

Lukman Mumuni
updated at April 12, 2023 at 7:53 PM
  • AS Roma manager Jose Mourinho has given Ghanaian forward Felix Gyan his serie A debut
  • The 18-year-old came on as a second half substitute as Roma beat Cagliari on Tuesday night
  • Felix Afena Gyan impressed Mourinho while playing for the youth team of the Italian giants

Ghanaian teen sensation, Felix Afena Gyan, has made his long awaited serie A debut after AS Roma manager Jose Mourinho played him in the serie A game against Cagliari.

The 18-year-old, who was named on the bench in the games against Juventus and Napoli, was given his chance in the match against Cagliari, when he came off to help Roma to victory.

AS Roma congratulated the teenager for making his debut on their official website, posting some photos of his first match in the topflight.

Felix Afena Gyan in action against Cagliari in the serie A. SOURCE: Twitter/ @OfficialASRoma
Felix Afena Gyan: Jose Mourinho hands Ghanaian teen AS Roma senior debut in serie A. SOURCE: Twitter/ @OfficialASRoma
Source: Twitter

The youngster's arrival sparked some energy into the Roma team, who were down by a goal after 52 minutes. Cagliari had taken the lead through Leonardo Pavoletti.

Gyan replaced Matias Vina in the 57th minute and just after the 70th minutes, the Romans leveled through defender Ibanez.

With 12 minutes left on the club, Lorenzo Pelligrini smashed the winner for AS Roma, who return to winning ways after a defeat to Juventus and a draw at home to Napoli.

This was Afena-Gyan's first ever game in the Italian topflight league, and made a huge impact that could keep him in the first team.

The youngster from the Bono Region of Ghana, showed promise since stepping foot in Italy, scoring goals with the U-18 of AS Roma.

His devastating form earning promotion to the U-19 team, and within a year, he has risen to the first team of AS Roma.

Speaking to Ghanaian players abroad expert and journalist, Eustace Acquaye told YEN.com.gh, Afena-Gyan's serie A debut affirms Mourinho's love for African players and his believe in their abilities.

"Mourinho believes in African players. I think this will end up as a marriage of convenience for the youngster and the Portuguese coach. He did it with Drogba, and even our own Essien, so I am not surprise at all. Hopefully, Afena will repay Mourinho with some good performances," he said.

Jose Mourinho promotes Ghanaian teen to AS Roma first team

Earlier, YEN.com.gh reported that, Ghanaian teen sensation, Felix Afena-Gyan, has started training with AS Roma's first team this week ahead of their big showdown against Juventus in serie A on Sunday.

The 18-year-old caught the attention of manager Jose Mourinho while playing for the U-19 team in a championship game against Sassuolo. A game the Ghanaian scored the winner.

In photos posted on Twitter by the club, sighted by YEN.com.gh, the young forward is seen training with the senior players.

Authors
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Lukman Mumuni
Lukman Abdul Mumin is a Sports Journalist based in Accra, Ghana. He has been writing for the past five years. Lukman joined Sports Brief as an Editor for the Local Desk in 2022.
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