The footballing path from West Africa to Scandinavia is surprisingly well-trodden.
Odion Ighalo blazed the trail, breaking into European football after a debut season with Norwegian side Lyn in 2007.
Since then, Gift Orban and David Datro Fofana have catapulted from the Eliteserien into the continental limelight, while Brighton’s Simon Adingra and Southampton’s Kamaldeen Sulemana are two of many African talents to have made the life-changing journey from the Right to Dream academy in Ghana to Danish club FC Nordsjaelland and beyond.
Of all the globetrotting stories, however, fellow ‘dreamer’ Mohammed Kudus remains the shining example to budding African players.
From scoring a superb brace for Ghana at the 2022 World Cup to a rocket shot at Anfield, the 22-year-old’s short career is jam-packed with tangible moments of success and genuine inspiration for those watching back home.
After three seasons with Ajax, his reputation growing year-on-year, Kudus’s next move could be the biggest of his life.
A mid-sized (5ft 9in; 177cm), stocky player with boundless energy both on and off the ball, Kudus is a midfield technician, speed dribbler and powerful ball-striker rolled into one.
His ability to dominate various roles with his unique blend of physicality and speed has been hugely effective for Ajax, able to utilise his precise yet powerful ball carrying to burst through weak spots in the opposition set-up.
According to smarterscout, Kudus has played as many as seven positions since his debut in Dutch football, operating all the way from a deep-lying No 6 to out-and-out centre-forward, with the majority of his time spent out on the right-wing running at the full-back.
Kudus himself sees his best position in midfield, idolising Thiago as he grew up. Although, it quickly became clear to both Erik ten Hag and Alfred Schreuder that Kudus’s midfield potential is much more about incision than it is tempo-setting.
When he is able to get on the ball in deep areas, few are better in European football at creating counter-attacks all by himself.
Away at Vitesse Arnhem last season, for example, Kudus backs into his man as he looks to control a high clearance, bringing the ball down while holding off the challenge.
Straight away, Kudus tries to escape, skipping over another outstretched boot from Matus Bero before careering forward. Two backpedalling defenders converge, but Kudus bursts through the middle of the two challenges, leaving them both on the ground…
… before rounding the other defender and poking the ball past one final challenge, sending an onrushing Brian Brobbey through on goal.
Somehow maintaining his balance, Kudus was able to beat six players along the way.
This is not an isolated moment of brilliance: Kudus’s ability to rip through entire defensive structures on the break is a reliable escape route for his side. Squat and sturdy, his ability to roll a player is second to none.
Again, away at Twente in May, Kudus is surrounded by three defenders, two hacking away at his calves for the ball.
Once again, he holds off the challenges, spinning away and bursting into midfield, before skipping past a further challenge and sliding the ball through to Lorenzo Lucca for a clear shot on goal.
Another four players were left in his wake, and an opportunity was created from nothing.
His verticality is not just restricted to transitional moments. Kudus is happy to drift between the lines and receive the ball further up the pitch. As long as there is a defender on his back, and space in behind to exploit, Kudus will protect the ball, back into the man and spin away.
Against Rangers in last season’s Champions League, for example, with Kudus playing a more advanced role, he drops into the midfield to create the passing option.
Full-back James Tavernier spots the movement and jumps from the defensive line to try to win the ball.
Kudus backs into him; that devastating combination of upper-body strength and a slippery frame allowing him to simultaneously protect the ball and wriggle free from the challenge.
Kudus again rolls his man, charges towards the area while keeping Tavernier at bay, before unleashing a powerful shot across the goalkeeper on his favoured left foot.
So difficult to dispossess, Kudus’s long carries map illustrates his ability to propel the attack via his feet, having completed 83 dribbles that moved the ball 10 metres upfield, at a rate of 4.2 per game.
Twenty-one of those carries crossed the halfway line, while 13 saw him crash into the penalty area, most often on the right side of the pitch.
Progressive and aggressive with the ball at his feet, Kudus is a truly unique outlet on the break.
More generally, Kudus’s energy and enthusiasm translate to a slightly chaotic, but increasingly sharp attacking style of play.
Last season was the most prolific of the young midfielder’s career: he scored 16 goals and assisted six more across three competitions for Ajax, with four goals in five starts in the Champions League.
Predominantly left-footed, Kudus prefers a powerful finish. He consistently strikes the ball well, and usually aims high, as with his emphatic finish against Liverpool.
Last season, however, Kudus boosted his goal tally with scrappier finishes, becoming much better at timing his runs into the penalty area to bundle home from close range. He scored five close-range goals with his weaker right foot in competitive action in 2022-23, having netted just once that way across the previous two campaigns.
Against Twente (this time in the KNVB Cup in February), Kudus is lurking on the edge of the box as the ball falls to Dusan Tadic, who scans the area for options…
Tadic swivels and blasts a first-time cross into the penalty area. With the defender flat-footed, Kudus seems to read his team-mate’s intentions, and darts into the box…
… before controlling the ball, bundling through two challenges and stabbing the ball over the goalkeeper as he falls.
With that increased variety in his finishing, Kudus is shooting more than ever. His average of 3.5 shots per game was only bettered by seven Eredivisie players last season, while his 7.3 take-ons per 90 was only second to young Norwegian winger Osame Sahraoui at SC Heerenveen.
Remember, Kudus played across seven positions last season, from No 6 to No 10. Such numbers show that his attacking enthusiasm with the ball can’t be contained.
Like many high-volume attackers, Kudus can sometimes let over-enthusiasm get the better of him.
Of all the players to attempt over 100 take-ons last season, Kudus was the only player to maintain a success rate of over 60 per cent. He was also, however, one of only three players in the Eredivisie to have been dispossessed more than 60 times.
Particularly around the penalty area, he can hesitate in his decision-making. Coming inside onto his left foot, he can wander down blind alleys as he looks to create space for the shot.
Here against Groningen in May, for example, Kudus does well to beat his man and heads for the penalty area. Steven Bergwijn offers the overlap, while Kenneth Taylor and Tadic pull into space.
With time to consider his options, Kudus holds off for slightly too long as the passing lanes close and defenders regain shape. He cuts inside and tries a shot, which is easily blocked.
If he can add penalty-box composure to his box of tricks, Kudus can become one of the world’s great counter-attacking players.
For the time being though, Kudus’s future remains unclear.
The 22-year-old has reported for pre-season training with Ajax and will have an even bigger role to play for the Dutch giants — should he choose to stay — following the departure of Tadic to Fenerbahce last week.
Kudus possesses a combination of versatility and progressive power that you will not find anywhere else, so it is not surprising that a growing number of clubs see his future lying with them.
Source; theathletic.com
