Asumah Abubakar

Asumah Abubakar-Ankrah (born 10 May 1997) is a Ghanaian footballer who plays as a forward for Swiss club Lugano.

Asumah Abubakar
Personal information
Full name Asumah Abubakar-Ankrah
Date of birth (1997-05-10) 10 May 1997
Place of birth Kumasi, Ghana
Height 1.83 m (6 ft 0 in)
Position(s) Forward
Club information
Current team
 Lugano
Number 17
Youth career
Corners Babies
2015–2016 Willem II
Senior career*
Years Team Apps (Gls)
2016–2018 Willem II 17 (0)
2018–2019 MVV Maastricht 28 (0)
2019–2021 Kriens 50 (22)
2021– Lugano 5 (1)
National team
2016 Portugal U19 2 (1)
* Senior club appearances and goals counted for the domestic league only and correct as of 12 February 2021

Club career

Born in Kumasi, Ghana, Abubakar had a successful trial with Willem II in the summer of 2015, but he had to wait to the following year to sign a contract due to work permit problems. He eventually received a Portuguese passport as his father had been working in the nation for several years,[1][2] and on 2 March 2016 he committed to the Dutch club on a short-term deal.[3]

On 2 April 2016, whilst still a junior, Abubakar made his senior debut, coming on as a late substitute in a 2–3 Eredivisie home loss against FC Twente.[4] He transferred to MVV Maastricht for the 2018-2019 season on a free transfer.[5] After 27 appearances and another goalless season Abubakar transferred to Swiss club SC Kriens.[6] On the 28th July 2019, he would score his first professional goal against FC Aarau after being subbed on in the 71st minute.[7] He ended the season third in the top scorer rankings.[6] In his second season, despite Kriens finishing mid-table, he again finished third in the scoring charts and won the Switzerland Challenge League Best Player Award.[8][9] Abubakar transferred to Swiss Super League club FC Lugano at the start of the 2021-2022 season for 100,000 Euros.[10] He scored his first goal for Lugano on his third appearance in a 1-1 draw with FC Basel.[11]

International career

Having acquired Portuguese citizenship, Abubakar chose to represent that country.[12] On 16 June 2016, he was selected for a 23-man preliminary list for the 2016 UEFA European Under-19 Championship[13] and also made the final squad, scoring in a 4–3 group stage win over the hosts Germany.[14] Shortly after, however, after doubts arose regarding his eligibility, the Portuguese Football Federation opted to immediately remove him from the competition pending further approval.[15]

References
  1. "Asumah: o luso-ganês que entusiama na Holanda e vem à seleção" [Asumah: the Portuguese-Ghanaian who thrills in the Netherlands and comes to the national team] (in Portuguese). Mais Futebol. 3 June 2016. Retrieved 18 July 2016.
  2. "Asumah: do Gana ao Europeu sub-19, via Ermesinde" [Asumah: from Ghana to the under-19 European Championship, via Ermesinde] (in Portuguese). Mais Futebol. 8 July 2016. Retrieved 18 July 2016.
  3. "Ghanaian teenager Asumah Abubakar signs for Dutch Eredivise [sic] Willem II Tilburg". Ghana Soccernet. 2 March 2016. Retrieved 3 July 2016.
  4. "FC Twente vecht zich terug en wint in Tilburg" [FC Twente fight back and win in Tilburg] (in Dutch). FC Twente. 2 April 2016. Archived from the original on 20 April 2016. Retrieved 18 July 2016.
  5. "MVV Maastricht sign Asumah in a two-year deal | Goal.com". www.goal.com. Retrieved 2021-02-13.
  6. admin. "Big blow for SC Kriens: top striker Asumah Abubakar is storming for Lugano with immediate effect". Retrieved 2021-02-13.
  7. LiveScore, SofaScore com. "SC Kriens FC Aarau live score, video stream and H2H results - SofaScore". www.sofascore.com. Retrieved 2021-02-13.
  8. "SFL-Awards bleiben in YB-Hand". Bote der Urschweiz (in German). 2021-01-21. Retrieved 2021-02-13.
  9. "Ghanaian youngster Asumah Abubakar wins Swiss Challenge League Best Player award for 2020". GhanaSoccernet. 2021-01-22. Retrieved 2021-02-13.
  10. "Ghanaian striker Asumah Abubakar completes move to Swiss top-tier side Lugano". GhanaSoccernet. 2021-01-11. Retrieved 2021-02-13.
  11. "Asumah Abubakar-Ankrah nets debut Swiss Super League goal to help Lugano draw at FC Basel". GhanaSoccernet. 2021-01-31. Retrieved 2021-02-13.
  12. "Asumah delighted with Portugal chance". Goal. 9 June 2016. Retrieved 3 July 2016.
  13. "Convocatória pré-Europeu com 23 jogadores" [Preliminary European Championship call-up with 23 players] (in Portuguese). Portuguese Football Federation. 16 June 2016. Retrieved 3 July 2016.
  14. "Portugal put paid to Germany hopes". UEFA. 14 July 2016. Retrieved 18 July 2016.
  15. "Asumah retirado da convocatória" [Asumah removed from selection]. Record (in Portuguese). 16 July 2016. Retrieved 18 July 2016.
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