David Atanga, a Ghanaian winger who played alongside Lawrence Ati-Zigi at Salzburg, has urged football fans not to judge the Black Stars goalkeeper based on statistics.
Ati-Zigi has been heavily criticized by Ghanaian football fans in recent times, with many labeling him as a subpar goalkeeper.
However, Atanga, who currently plays for KV Oostende, insists that Ati-Zigi is not a bad goalkeeper and should not be judged solely on his statistics. According to Atanga, even the best goalkeepers in the world, like Manuel Neuer, have bad days and make mistakes.
"We shouldn't only base our judgment on statistics to judge him," Atanga said in an interview with Mothers FM. "A goalkeeper can concede goals during a game but make a lot of saves. I played with Ati-Zigi at Salzburg and he was nearly turned into an outfield player. He's a very good goalkeeper, just that there's much pressure when playing for Ghana."
Ati-Zigi has regained his number one spot under new coach Otto Addo after spending the entirety of the Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) 2023 campaign on the bench under former coach Chris Hughton.
