Who is Felix Afena-Gyan? Roma sensation unleashed by Mourinho

Martin Macdonald

22 Nov 2021 11:11 GMT
6 min read

Serie A could have a new superstar in its ranks after Roma wonderkid Felix Afena-Gyan announced himself to the stage in a fixture against Genoa.

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Jose Mourinho's side were struggling to break down Genoa when Afena-Gyan was introduced to the action.

With under 10 minutes remaining, the substitute ran on to a pass from team-mate Henrikh Mkhitaryan before confidently dispatching a superb finish into the bottom left corner.

He would go on to score again, and his second was even better as he whipped an unstoppable strike into the top right corner from 30 yards after coming inside from the left wing.

The celebrations were wild as the Roma players embraced the young star.

What position does Felix Afena-Gyan play?

Afena-Gyan plays as a forward, usually through the middle.

How good is Felix Afena-Gyan?

Afena-Gyan only has three senior professional appearances to his name in his career so it is difficult to determine whether he will be a future star or whether the match against Genoa was a flash in the pan.

However, the signs are good that the young forward has what it takes to make a name for himself in Serie A.

Afena-Gyan is not a product of the youth system at Roma and only actually joined the club in March of 2021.

Born in Ghana, he was at the EurAfrica FC Academy when spotted by Roma in January of 2021. Former Roma player and now scout Morgan De Sanctis was the man responsible for recognising his talents and he helped to facilitate the move to Italy.

Afena-Gyan made an instant impression in the capital and was called up to senior training sessions by Paulo Fonseca before Mourinho arrived.

He made his professional debut in a fixture against Cagliari and has appeared three times off the bench so far. With his goals against Genoa, he became the first player born in 2003 to score in Serie A.

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Following that game, Mourinho said:

“I had promised to buy Felix the boots he really likes, which are really expensive, they cost €800, so he ran over and told me not to forget! Tomorrow morning, the first thing I do is buy him the boots.

“I am sorry for Mister De Rossi and the Primavera squad, but Felix will stay with us. The Primavera work close to us, so Felix and another four or five players have come across to the senior squad.

“What impressed me the most was his cool head in front of goal. If he is not in terms of technique, fantastic, he does have a strong mentality.

“You get these kids now who think they know everything, but he is humble and you can sense he just absorbs all this information from everyone around him. That’s fantastic.”

As well as his finishing ability, Afena-Gyan is known for his speed.