Goal: Fewer And Fewer Unknowns In Africa

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By Greg Lalas

Tags: African Cup of Nations, Ghana, Ivory Coast, Michael Essien

ACCRA, Ghana †A common remark one hears before heading off to the Africa Cup of Nations is, “Bring us back a Michael Essien, would you?” The assumption is that brilliant midfielders are just hanging around Africa, as plentiful as plantains and just as cheap.

Sure, there was a time, maybe 15 years ago, when European and American scouts could find previously undiscovered talent at CAN for a pittance, but nowadays, unless your business card reads Chelsea or Barcelona, most of the players here are out of your price range.

“You can’t find cheap players under the radar at the cup anymore,” Patrick McCabe, an American agent with First Wave Sports Marketing, said. He and his Sweden-based partner, Patrick Mork, represent many up-and-coming African players, including Benin’s sensational Razak Otomoyosi. “There simply are no more unknowns.” Players like George Weah and Abedi Pele proved in the early 1990s that Africans can succeed abroad. Since then, African players have become as ubiquitous as Brazilians in Europe’s top leagues. Of the 368 registered players at this year’s CAN, 209 are based in Europe †and they carry the price tags to prove it.

On a recent afternoon here in Accra, I caught up with Bolton Wanderers’ chief scout, Colin Harvey. A former captain and later coach at Everton, he and another Bolton scout named Terry Darracott were attending their first CAN.

“It’s obviously a good tournament and there’s quality players everywhere,” Harvey said. “You look at the Ivory Coast and Nigeria †most of them are playing in the Premiership already. So we’re having a look at players at the level below. After the tournament, we’ll go back and watch them at the club level, and maybe, come the summer, we’ll have a couple of players to bring in.”

Harvey and Darracott marked asterisks next to names in their notebooks: Flavio, an Angolan striker playing with Egyptian champions Al-Ahly; his teammate Ze Kalanga, at Boavista (on loan from Dinamo Bucharest); Zambia’s Jacob Mulenga, who is with French side Strasbourg; and Otomoyosi, who won the Golden Boot in Sweden last year.

“A lot of them are in Portugal or France and places like that,” Harvey said. “They go one level, then on to France, then on to the Premiership.”

This connect-the-dots trade route from the dusty fields of Africa, through Europe’s smaller leagues, to the promised land of England, Spain, or Italy, is now a common story. It’s changing the face of the game worldwide, and making millionaires of players who two decades ago might not have received tourist visas.

It starts at Africa’s many youth academies, some of which have become star factories. ASEC Mimosas, in Abidjan, is the “it” academy these days, laying claim to ten players on the Ivory Coast roster, including Chelsea’s Salomon Kalou, Arsenal’s Emmanuel Eboue, and Barcelona’s Yaya Toure.

Toure left ASEC as a promising 18-year-old in 2001. He started at Belgium’s KSK Beveren, then spent two seasons with Ukrainian side Metalurh Donetsk, one with Greek giants Olympiakos, and one with Monaco. He played well, and each move saw his transfer fee jump. Finally, last year, he cashed in with a $13-million move to Barcelona.

Here in Ghana, the crown jewel is Liberty Professionals, which has nurtured such stars as Essien, Sulley Muntari, and Asamoah Gyan. They have development agreements with several European clubs, including Udinese in Serie A, where Muntari played before moving to Portsmouth, and where Gyan plays now.

A few days before the CAN began, Darracott was invited to watch Liberty’s under-20 side play in a local youth tournament. “I was amazed by the talent,” he said. “They were really good, and on an awful pitch.”

Rather than waiting for players to arrive, European teams are being proactive, said McCabe. They are cultivating relationships with academies (Charlton Athletic signed a partnership with ASEC in 2006) or using go-betweens to organize scouting trips. First Wave Sports recently arranged for several clubs from Italy and Russia to attend a weekend of games at Liberty’s training facility.

So while the original Michael Essien is watched by millions on this final weekend of the CAN, somewhere on the continent another Michael Essien is kicking around on a dusty, bumpy field. He’s about 15 and loaded with raw potential. And some club somewhere most likely already knows about him.

As an Angolan, I can’t be unhappy with our “palancas negras” and they really deserve to be among the best players in the world, i.e., playing for top European clubs.

Manucho just signed to Man United and will be playing for Panathinaikos in Greece until May due to working permit constraints in U.K. ZĂ© Calanga is very quick and would destroy many defenses in premiership. Manucho, Ze Calanga and Flavio are money in the bank.

†Posted by Jose Costa

I’ve really enjoyed this tournament, probably more than the one from 2006. As a devoted follower of tournaments from around the world, especially from South American, the intensity of the players in the Cup of Nations is great to watch.

Instead of going to obscure European leagues as stepping stones to England/Italy/Spain, I wish South American clubs would pursue signing some of this young talent and bring them to their highly competitive leagues.

My favorite player in the tournament, by far, has been Angola’s Ze Kalanga, very complete and intelligent player.

†Posted by Robert S

Alain Nkong, who just scored for Cameroon against Ghana in the Semi’s, currently plays for Atalante in Mexico.

Prior to that he played for the Colorado Rapids in MLS.

It’s my hope that MLS will sign some of these budding African talents with the same zeal they’re showing for South American players.

†Posted by Stan from El Barrio

High five to Egypt. I am not their fan but I appreciate their policies of developing domestic strong leagues and talents. They have trashed all arrogant African teams and backward officials that think you have to play in Europe or have a European coach to be good.

†Posted by Mwanga

i am so so sorry but why uyou not remmber egypt we have alot of good player foot ball and i thank can you remmber egypt in your news i am already i see your page i hope u remmber egypt today becouse we will play the finil of africa cup sunday mohamed mahgoub i like tims news

†Posted by mohamed mahgoub

and we have mohamed zidan and mohamed abo trika look at that plz mohamed mahgoub

†Posted by mohamed mahgoub

I can’t belive that egypt won cote de voar 41 ,it was a fight not a game . after this game i hope they won the cup

†Posted by ahmed

i do not have problem with european boss going far and beyond to discover talent, but i have issue when they forget their root and play for other countries national team. my thing is you can come to our continent, discover our talent and send them back to us.

†Posted by emmanuel

Great research; thanks for sharing.we need more informative pieces like that.PB

†Posted by PB

“Arsenal’s Emmanuel Eboue”

Do you really follow the sport? When you look at the ASEC products and think of one that’s playing for Arsenal Eboue is what came to mind and not the more famous and important Kolo Toure. Yaya isn’t even the most famous Toure. BTW, Kolo went directly from ASEC to Arsenal, he didn’t need to wander around the lower reaches of European football.

†Posted by Clayton

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Goal, The New York Times soccer blog, will report on news and features from the world of soccer and around the Web. Times editors and reporters will follow international tournaments and provide analysis of games. There will be interviews with players, coaches and notable soccer fans, as well as a weekly blog column by Red Bulls forward Jozy Altidore. Readers can discuss Major League Soccer, foreign leagues and other issues with fellow soccer fans.

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