Assifuah guns for Golden Boot award

With their ambition of a second coronation at the FIFA U-20 at the World Cup effectively crushed by France last Wednesday, the Black Satellites handlers — apart from a consolation bronze in tomorrow’s third place match — are also eying the Golden Boot award for the team's top scorer, Ebenezer Assifuah, who is currently leading the goal chart, with strikers Bruma of Portugal and Spain's Jesse all on five goals. The youngster, who scored four goals in the Africa Youth Championship earlier this year, has managed to replicate that form at World Youth Cup in Turkey.  The 20-year-old Liberty Professionals striker appears to be on the threshold of winning the top scorer’s award with a game on hand tomorrow against Iraq in Istanbul.

If Assifuah hits the target tomorrow, he will follow compatriot Dominic Adiyiah into the record books as the two Ghanaians to win the Golden Boot Award. In fact, Ghana swept the top prizes at the 2009 World Youth Championship in Egypt as Adiyiah won both the Golden Ball and Golden Boot awards in addition to a winner’s medal.

Last Wednesday, Coach Sellas Tetteh expressed his hope that the striker would eventually win the top scorer’s award after what he described as a very fruitful World Cup performance.

"I think Assifuah is one of the promising players in the world with huge potential, and I hope he caps his performance with the Golden Boot Award.

“It will be an honour to both Assifuah and Ghana if he wins the award and I pray that he succeeds,” Coach Tetteh told the media at the post-match conference after Ghana’s semi-final loss to France in Bursa.

"But I must say that the whole team did very well, especially when the campaign was threatened and I must congratulate all of them on a good job done despite our failure to reach the final.”

Even though the striker had often stated that his prime objective is to win the U-20 World Cup, he will certainly give high consideration to the opportunity to win the Golden Boot Award tomorrow, as the grounds appear fertile for him with closest challengers Bruma and Jesse both out of the tournament.

Assifuah, who began the World Cup on a jerky note and after failing to find the net in the Satellites’ opening two games, found his scoring boots as the Ghanaians came back strongly against USA, Portugal, Chile and France last Wednesday.

From Andy Quoa/Turkey