Patson  Daka  on  fire

Wed, 26 Apr 2017 12:30:17 +0000

….as he sets Europe alight with scintillating performances

By GRACE CHAILE LESOETSA

YOUNG Patson Daka will be a player to watch at the Under-20 South Korea World Cup; the boy is a lethal striker, says national soccer team coach Wedson Nyirenda.

And UEFA has named Daka among the five future players to watch out for.

The UEFA watch list consists of five youth players in European leagues: Sergio Díaz from Real Madrid youth side, Benfica’s João Félix, Jordi Mboudia of Barcelona Under-19, Patson Daka and Hannes Wolf, both from Salzburg’s youth side Liefering FC.

Said UEFA.com: “Success in Nyon was the culmination of a whirlwind few weeks for the speedy forward, who fired Zambia to glory at the Africa Cup of Nations Under-20 tournament in March.

‘‘Patson swept in the winner versus Barcelona 25 minutes into his UEFA Youth League debut, cue an acrobatic celebration, and proved his value again three days later with a headed equaliser.” Daka came off the bench and aided Salzburg of Austria to win the 2017 UEFA Youth League, beating Benefica of Portugal 2-1.

Nyirenda said he was not surprised by the exceptional performance of Daka because from the beginning the player has showed skills of an excellent striker. “Daka has been a vulnerable player in terms of support base in Zambia. When he was at Power Dynamos, the boy was being booed and called all sorts of names.

‘‘Even before we went for the Under-20 COSAFA tournament, he was the subject of ridicule and many tormented the player. But I strongly defended the young man and said he is the future of Zambia,” he said.

Nyirenda said he was happy that Daka had proved his critics wrong and now turning into the main striker for Zambia.

He hailed Daka for not giving up and staying level-headed in his quest for success. “The young man is a lethal striker, his is one of the best this time in Zambia. I think coupled with his age, and we have a future for the national team. He has proved that he can do wonders for this nation.

‘‘He has given the so-called underdog team in Europe the UEFA title. I believe with the support from his team mates, Daka will be a striker to watch in Korea,” he said.

Daka was the player of the tournament during the Under-20 Africa Cup of Nations tournament hosted by Zambia.

Meanwhile, Nyirenda was impressed by the Under-20 players’ performance in camp. He said the team’s scoring standard has improved and was not limited to strikers.

The Under-20 are expected to leave for a training camp in Spain this Sunday.