The life of a midfielder destroyer may not be as glamour as his attack minded cousin, but it’s a role that is coveted by coaches and just as vital to a team’s success. With young Ibrahim Sulemana, it seems Hellas Verona have unearthed a gem. The right footed player was born in Ghana, who is deployed as a defensive midfielder and was discovered by Oliver Artur at Sunyani during a scouting event.
After exhibiting a good performance during the scouting event, he was one of the few players who were selected for the trails in Italy. Massive changes happened in his career in 2019 when he was added to Atalanta’s U17 side. It was a good move for a young lad who wants to reach higher stages in football, he was turned into a real deal after joining the Atlanta team.
Serious groin injury forced the young Ghanaian out of action for a long period. Ibrahim’s best ability is his full awareness of the strength and weaknesses of the other players around him, this allows him to cover for the other players on his team when needed and gives them the opportunities to shine when they can.
His days at Atlanta ended as they were not ready to do needed surgery for him, the defensive midfielder joined Hellas Verona and had his surgery done. He started training with his new teammates and much was expected from him after a successful surgery.
He made his debut on 30th January 2022 for Hellas Verona U19 in the Primavera 1 Tim against Atlanta’s U19. The prodigy established himself as one of the best young players in the team, understanding when to go into a tackle is one of Sulemana’s strengths.
His ability to block shoots, make interceptions and competing for the ball aerially on the ground is similar to one of the greatest midfielders in Ghana’s history Micheal Essein.
Ibrahim Sulemana, the name on the lips of Hellas Verona fans after scoring brace for the Hellas Verona side in their nine goals win over Trentino. After displaying top level performance in the Primavera 1 Tim and during preseason, he was asked to join the senior side( first team).
The 77 shirted was added to the 2022-23 Hellas Verona first team which was a great step for the young sensation. In 7 out of 8 Seria A games in this season’s campaign, the talented midfielder has been on the first team bench waiting patiently for his moment.
9th October 2022 is a day, he will never forget after he was brought in the 71st minute against Salernitana and later received a yellow card. “Made my Seria A debut for Hellas Verona Fc against Salernitana, grateful to Allah”, Ibrahim said.
At just 19 years of age standing at 6’ 33” he has a lot of development to experience in his career before we can be sure he is the real deal, but he is caught the attention of a number of clubs in recent months and it wouldn’t be the greatest surprise to see him move to a better club.
By: Gideon Amoah
