In the Austrian Bundesliga there is an Italian top scorer Kelvin Yeboah

Published on: 30 September 2021
In the Austrian Bundesliga there is an Italian top scorer Kelvin Yeboah
Kelvin Yeboah

 

Also due to the inscrutable technical and economic domination of Red Bull Salzburg, winner of the last eight national titles, the Austrian Bundesliga is considered as a third-tier championship, not very attractive and not very competitive. Also this year there seems to be no story: after nine games, Salzburg have full points and already have a seven-point lead over Sturm Graz, who in turn has eight points more than third-placed Austria Klagenfurt.

The Graz team, also involved in the Europa League (it is included in the group with Monaco, Psv and Real Sociedad), is showing one of the most promising talents of the entire championship: Kelvin Yeboah, 21-year-old striker born in Accra but with a passport Italian.

In this first part of the season, Yeboah scored seven goals and served two assists in nine league games; in the other competitions, namely the Austrian Cup and the Europa League, he has put together five other appearances with three goals and three assists.

He is a son, brother and above all a nephew of art: his father and brother have a long militancy in the Piedmontese lower leagues behind them - the family has moved to the Novara area for more than 15 years - while his uncle Tony was a famous striker international, thanks to his militancy in Eintracht Frankfurt, in Leeds, and to 29 goals (in 59 appearances) with the Ghanaian national team.

Tony Yeboah himself has inspired and guided Kelvin throughout his career: a few years ago it was he who convinced him to leave Italy - he started in the youth sector of Novara and then of Monza - and to move to England, where he joined the West Ham nursery; after a short time, however, Yeboah returns to Italy and becomes part of the Gozzano youth teams, one of the amateur teams with the most structured, most wide-ranging project.

In July 2018, here's the big chance: from Austria comes the call of the WSG Tirol, a club owned by the Swarowski company that plays in the second division, and that a year later - also thanks to the contribution of Kelvin: two goals in sixteen games championship - gets promotion to the Austrian Bundesliga. one of the amateur teams with the most structured, most wide-ranging project.

In July 2018, here's the big chance: from Austria comes the call of the WSG Tirol, a club owned by the Swarowski company that plays in the second division, and that a year later - also thanks to the contribution of Kelvin: two goals in sixteen games championship - gets promotion to the Austrian Bundesliga. one of the amateur teams with the most structured, most wide-ranging project.

In July 2018, here's the big chance: from Austria comes the call of the WSG Tirol, a club owned by the Swarowski company that plays in the second division, and that a year later - also thanks to the contribution of Kelvin: two goals in sixteen games championship - gets promotion to the Austrian Bundesliga.

Sturm Graz's offer arrives in the 2021 winter transfer market, when Yeboah has already amassed 40 appearances and eight goals in the top flight. After the adaptation in the second half of last season, here is the explosion: the coach Christian Ilzer gives him a permanent starting position, the club entrusts him with the number 9 jersey, Kelvin responds immediately showing uncommon physical and technical qualities , especially in individual duels with opponents, whether they ran shoulder to shoulder or in the strait.

Even his basic technique is anything but trivial: in the open field, especially when he can converge from the right wing, Yeboah is really difficult to mark, his footwork and his speed make the opposing defenders indecisive and often even helpless. ,

And then, as mentioned, there are the goals: for Yeboah they are a novelty, at least at this rate, and the improvement under the net is due to several factors, including a position closer to the opponent's goal, an evident growth in the fundamentals of shooting and unmarking, a greater awareness of one's superiority, both physical and technical, with respect to the context. Like him, in the Bundesliga, only Karim Adeyemi, 19-year-old German striker of Salzburg, scored, therefore the designated heir of the various Dabbur, Haaland, Patson Daka: in short, we are talking about a player destined at least to attempt the adventure in a great club, and that it is no coincidence that he has already made his debut - and scored - with the national team now coached by Hansi Flick. The fact that Yeboah is playing on that level is an important signal about his qualities, his prospects.

The national team is an important chapter in the life and future of Yeboah: the Italian-Ghanaian striker has in fact chosen to accept the convocation of Paolo Nicolato in the Under 21, with whom he made his debut - as a substitute - last September 3, in occasion of the European qualification match against Luxembourg.

Later, he played - as a starter - the match against Montenegro. Obviously the Ghanaian Federation had already tried and will try again to convince Yeboah to play in the representative of the Black Stars, nickname of the senior national team, but for the moment the Sturm Graz striker seems to have decided to play his chances in blue. But without renouncing what he considers the best choice of his young career: to leave Italy. On the occasion of the last Under 21 meeting, Kelvin stated that “abroad, starting with my adventure in London, I learned other styles of play that have helped me in my career.

In Italy there is a lot of tactics and as a child I was not very good at tactics, in London they leave you more freedom to play and carry the ball, play one on one and have single matches in the field. There I felt much better, I learned to manage my body better and to exploit my speed ». In Austria, now, Yeboah is making the most of this knowledge, to the point of being one of the most decisive players in the league.

It will be interesting how and where his growth path will continue, also in view of a possible - indeed: desirable - inclusion in the senior national team, theoretically in search of the center forward of the future. Beginning with my adventure in London, I have learned other styles of play that have helped me in my career. In Italy there is a lot of tactics and as a child I was not very good at tactics, in London they leave you more freedom to play and carry the ball, play one on one and have single matches in the field. There I felt much better, I learned to manage my body better and to exploit my speed ».

In Austria, now, Yeboah is making the most of this knowledge, to the point of being one of the most decisive players in the league. It will be interesting how and where his growth path will continue, also in view of a possible - indeed: desirable - inclusion in the senior national team, theoretically in search of the center forward of the future. Beginning with my adventure in London, I have learned other styles of play that have helped me in my career. In Italy there is a lot of tactics and as a child I was not very good at tactics, in London they leave you more freedom to play and carry the ball, play one on one and have single matches in the field. There I felt much better, I learned to manage my body better and to exploit my speed ».

Yeboah is making very good use of this knowledge, to the point of being one of the most decisive players in the league. It will be interesting how and where his growth path will continue, also in view of a possible - indeed: desirable - inclusion in the senior national team, theoretically in search of the center forward of the future. Yeboah is making very good use of this knowledge, to the point of being one of the most decisive players in the league. It will be interesting how and where his growth path will continue, also in view of a possible - indeed: desirable - inclusion in the senior national team, theoretically in search of the center forward of the future.

 

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