The flamboyant Cameroonian with an ever-changing appearance has shone for his employers since joining them at the beginning of the season from AS Fortuna du Mfou. Scoring goals for fun, the 21-year-old has run defences ragged and is already a fan favourite.
Just in his maiden season in the highly-rated Ghanaian topflight league, Mbella proved himself as one of the brightest talents in the division. With 21 goals and 4 assists, the Kotoko forward ended the season as the league’s second highest scorer. Indeed he is one of the main reasons sudden resurgence and boosting their status as the country’s best by winning their first league title since 2014.
Mbella is an explosive player who possess a lot of pace, can play on the flanks as a wide forward or a winger, but enjoys cutting inside and using his powerful right foot. Dribbling and managing to keep possession are two other strong qualities he boasts.
He can shoot with both feet and his finishing is strong. An unselfish player, he likes to get in positions to assist his team-mates and create chances. It is not only his goals that endear him to his manager, team-mates and fans.
It is his all-round style; he plays with a vivacity, power and cleverness that uplift those around him and enable him to thrive in variety of positions. Not since Eric Bekoe have Kotoko had a striker so adept to hold-up- play but what really makes him valuable is his work rate.
Mbella tries to win almost every ball back, even if this means going deep to chase it. Something which you notice with Mbella is that he draws quite a lot fouls due to his ability to dribble and do the unexpected.
The numbers are impressive enough, but watching him on the field, it is impossible to ignore his calm, confident demeanour.
Arriving from a foreign country and does not speak English or any native language is undoubtedly a daunting experience, as is dealing with pressure of playing for Asante Kotoko, yet the highest compliment one can give to the Cameroonian is to admit that he instantly looked like he belonged in the team.
People will be quick to put Etouga’s success down to his blistering pace and dribbling prowess on the counter attack. While these are key elements to his game- there’s much more to him than that. He understands the role of a forward like few others; he can score with any part of his body and make it look easy, and his range of finishing is unbelievable.
Be it striking from outside the box, tapping in a rebound or slotting home a penalty, the Cameroonian international is a complete finisher.
Simply put, Asante Kotoko was a better team whenever Franck Etouga Mbella was in the lineup. Thanks to his performances to Kotoko, the club won the league title and that alone suggests he has been the player of the year.
By: Godfred Budu
