Barcelona recently announced the signing of defender David Oduro for the reserve team. The Ghanaian defender joins the club with the hope of developing in one of the world’s best academies and honing his skill set.
Oduro along with Abdul Aziz are the first Ghanaians to sign for Barcelona in history, further underlying the club’s strong scouting network in the African market which most recently included Mikayil Faye.
Understandably, Oduro arrives in Barcelona with dreams and has a clear vision of how he wants his career to pan out. As quoted by SPORT, he has mentioned that he dreams of playing for the club in the Champions League. Here is what he had to say:
“I have to work very hard to be able to get into the first team, my objective is to play in the Champions League and then get into the Ghana national team. I will be very patient, I have been all this time.”
The 18-year-old went on to reveal who his role model is. He referred to Barcelona youngster Alejandro Balde who himself is just 20 years old. Here is what the new arrival had to say:
“It will be a great feeling because I have always seen him (Balde) play and I admire him a lot.”
Should Hansi Flick call Oduro for first-team training any time soon, he would get a chance to play alongside his role model, Balde. The Ghanaian teenager is similar in terms of profile to the Spanish left-back and could learn from him.
It is worth noting that Oduro went on trial with Chelsea but chose to sign for Barcelona. Players around the world know that no academy in the world is better than La Masia for development and this would give them the best opportunity for a first-team role.
Over the past few seasons, the number of players who have come through the academy into the first team is quite significant. Oduro will hope to be next in line but it is important that he adapts to a new country and settles down. The rest will follow.
