The 2022/23 betPawa Premier League season has come to a close, giving way for us to look at the most influential figures of this campaign.
Several obscure players worked their way into the spotlight, inspiring their team to regular-season successes and a postseason push.
Here, kickgh.com presents to you the seven best young players of the Ghanaian elite division.
Nurudeen Abdulai (Centre-Back, Medeama)
The centre-back has looked assured since his arrival at Tarkwa and he has shown that he possesses qualities both defensively and offensively. Tenacious. Clever. Resolute. These are all adjectives used to describe the way the 18-year-old approaches football, but it doesn't tell half the story. He is rarely caught out with balls in behind, and, if he is, his recovery runs regularly allows him to get back goal side and defend the ball properly again.
Abdulai is athletically and physically unsurpassable, while his tactical awareness and decision making is continuously improving game by game. He could dominate opposition strikers for years to come. With 3 goals in 29 appearances, the young defender played an integral role in the Mauve and Yellows won their first league title in the club’s history. He won 4 MVPs.
Abass Samari Salifu (Attacking Midfielder, Accra Lions)
An industrious attacking midfielder with a penchant for creating chances, Salifu has flourished for Ibrahim Tanko’s side in the just ended season. The 18-year-old midfield gem glides across the pitch whenever he is running with the ball, but his close control means he is always available to find a teammate at the precise perfect moment he needs to.
He enjoys getting forward through intelligent runs, but prefers laying the ball on a plate to his teammates rather than shooting himself. He managed 9 goals, 2 assists and won 5 MVPs as Accra Lions ended the season placed 15th on the log.
Dominic Nsobila (Defensive Midfielder, Accra Lions)
Nsobila has grown into becoming the best defensive midfielder in Ghana and up there with the best on the continent. The 20-year-old often flies under the radar as his game is so simple. But it's so effective, too.
He is a beefcake who rarely throws his weight around. Instead, he relies on intelligent reading of the game, two excellent feet and a sumptuous range of passing to keep opponents on the back foot. He has the turn of pace to beat the press and rarely misplays a pass. The piece of the puzzle which brings the whole thing together.
Yaw Amankwah Baafi (Right Winger, Hearts)
Few things are as comforting to a manager (real or virtual) as casting an eye to the bench and seeing an absolute Swiss Army knife of a footballer, a one size fits all utility man willing and able to come on and adapt to the game in a just about any position without so much as a shrug.
Yaw Amankwah Baafi was the one to watch at Hearts this term. His dynamism and ability both in attack and defence are the reasons why he was deployed as winger and at right-back and right-wingback in the course of the season.
It’s frightening to consider quite how good he could become if he continues what has already been a seismic rise to the top of Ghanaian football... in whatever position he wants.
Baba Yahaya (Winger, King Faisal)
He’s got all the makings of an elite winger. However, Yahaya can also shine in a central position, and it was in an attacking midfield role. The 21-year-old functions as an inverted winger off the right and his technical ability has seen him draw comparisons to Riyad Mahrez and Arjen Robben. He’s a creative winger who boasts impressive playmaking tools.
Nevertheless, Yahaya is certainly gifted and it’s easy to forget he's still young with plenty of time to mature and further hone his craft.
Derrick Fordjuor (Winger, Medeama)
Fordjour is a relentless winger who often creates chances for himself thanks to his work rate and defensive effort. He’s so direct in possession and excels in Evans Adotey’s transition-heavy system. The 20-year-old is brilliant when he’s given space to attack, but he also boasts the technique to combine and create in tight spaces.
He is lightening quick and emanates elegance and grace every time he touches the ball. Fordjour epitomises modern-day wing play. He inverts off the right so he can wreak havoc in more central zones, but he also boasts the speed and trickery to beat his man on the outside. His two-footedness adds to his mystique in possession. He scored 2 goals and assisted 7 times in 26 games for the Tarkwa club as they won their first league title.
Felix Kyei (Goalkeeper, Medeama)
Razor sharp reflexes, wrists like steel, distribution like Juan Roman Riquelme and a really cool name. These are just a few of the things that make Felix Kyei one of the best goalkeepers in the country. And that ability with his feet only elevates him higher up this list. He's utterly superb as a footballer, let alone a goalkeeper.
He's also played his part in Medeama becoming Premier League champions
