The man who oversaw his steadily progression at the academy ranks had nothing but full of praises for his protege over his magnificent talent as a rising star
Former Modena U15 manager Mirco Martinelli has extolled the qualities of Ghanaian teenage sensation Samuel Wiafe by describing him as one with ''above-average athletic and technical skills'' after being integrated into the mainstream squad this season.
The 17-year-old saw his stellar outings with the U19 being recognized by the man in charge of the dugout at the Stadio Alberto Braglia, Andrea Sottil, as he made him savour first-team actions on four occasions in this current Serie B contest.
However, with this remarkable feat being achieved by the budding star, the man who nurtured his talent at the U15 and U16 ranks, is now living as a prideful man after superintending over his steadily progression at one stage in his promising playing career.
Speaking in an exclusive interview, the ltalian talents nurturing gaffer told Pianetaserieb.lt: ''When Samuel came to us, he immediately proved to be extremely polite. He's a wonderful guy, and he showed it to me and the group. We were together in both the Under-15 and Under-16 teams, and I can only speak with great pleasure about him. He's always made himself available impeccably. He's a player with above-average athletic and technical skills, and we saw that from the very first training sessions.''
He also added on his journey en route to the ltaly U17 national football team: '' Perhaps not yet in the Under-15s, but in the Under-16s, where his development has been very significant, definitely yes. I'll share an anecdote, however: already in the Under-15s, during the first few matchdays we played against Empoli, Fiorentina, and several others, the scouts from the youth national teams often asked us what nationality he was, which means that the more attentive eyes had already noticed so.
''Clearly, Samuel couldn't be called up, since he didn't have citizenship, but the whole thing was only postponed, given that he then had the opportunity to show off his skills with the Under-17s. As I said at the beginning of my answer, in my opinion, in the Under-16s, where I was still his coach, he further improved his skillset, having found calm and self-confidence. Those who, like him, have a clear physical superiority, sometimes need to compete with players with a similar structure, because as long as the gap is very wide – as in the Under-15s, where many are still frail – a sort of slowing down in the full application of what you have in your strings. All this because, simply put, you don't need to deploy all your power."
Wiafe, who signed his first professional contract with Modena on January 8, 2026, has so far taken in 4 appearances for Modena in the ongoing Serie B football competitions.
Given his talent as an upcoming wonderkid, he could be a sure bet for Ghana on the international stage in the near future despite playing for the ltaly U17 national youth team.
