SAKA, ANTONY AND 10 PREMIER LEAGUE STARS HEADING TO THEIR FIRST WORLD CUP
Last night, a 17-year-old named Kwadwo Baah tore Crystal Palace’s south London rivals Charlton apart at the Valley.
The teenager scored two mesmeric goals. Firstly, the Rochdale forward smashed a first-time effort in off the crossbar to put his side 2-0 up.
Remember the name… Kwadwo Baah!
— Sky Bet League One (@SkyBetLeagueOne) January 13, 2021
An absolute 𝐛𝐞𝐚𝐮𝐭𝐲 from the 17-year-old last night… #EFL | @officiallydale pic.twitter.com/HuCl0CKM34
Then, Baah raced past his marker, shrugging him off with ease, before slamming the ball into the far corner with power and precision.
Why does this concern Crystal Palace, you might ask?
Well, when the attacker was 14, the Eagles released him from their academy.
You may even recognise Baah’s name, after he went viral back in January 2017 following a 1-0 defeat to West Ham.
Adrian – now at Liverpool – was taking his time over a goal-kick in the dying stages, before Baah lost patience.
At the game as a ball-boy, a 13-year-old version of the Rochdale prodigy picked the ball up, raced onto the pitch, and placed the ball down in the Spaniard’s area, prompting him to hurry up.
It was a brilliant moment, and one which put his name up in lights.
However, Palace decided to nurture another player in his position – John-Kymani Gordon – and Baah eventually joined the Kinetic academy as The Athletic state.
It was there that he found himself.
Founder of the Kinetic academy, Harry Hudson, said: ‘He had that ability to go past players that you can’t coach. That Wilfried Zaha ability to just go past people. And the biggest difference between Kwadwo and a lot of the street footballers we work with — Kwadwo has an end product.’
Sadly, the Eagles aren’t enjoying the fruits of his development after releasing him.
On the basis of his stunning two-goal display against Charlton, perhaps it might’ve been a mistake to let him leave Selhurst Park.
