Clifford Aboagye: Kun Faya Kun – what will be, will be

“Borbor (Sellas Tetteh) used to teach us one word,” says Clifford Aboagye, readjusting his seat to ensure he doesn’t move out of frame before leaning towards the screen, placing his palms on his table, and lifting the index finger of his right hand in a gesture to support the importance of the word: “Kun Faya Kun”, which means ‘what is written is written.’

“You see, I really believe in these kinds of words. If it is meant to be, it would really be.”

The Tijuana midfielder is at ease, relaxed, and nods while wearing a grin and displaying white teeth.

Two meanings could be read from that posture and voice: If I am destined to reach the apex many expected of me, I would, and, I am grateful I still play football.

The former, as imparted in him by his youth coach, Tetteh, is one that motivates him.

A little over seven years ago, as an Inter Allies product, he mounted the podium alongside France’s Paul Pogba and Uruguay’s Nicolás López for the bronze ball of the FIFA U-20 World Cup tournament played in Turkey.

Clifford Aboagye (right) with Paul Pogba (middle) and Nicolás López
It was a competition that sold him to the world, and to Ghanaians. Expectations were sky-high. His talent, adored by many. Pogba is a World Cup winner and plays for one of the biggest clubs in the world, Manchester United.

The frustration

But, Aboagye is in Mexico, playing for Club Tijuana in a region unfancied by the Ghanaian football community.

Two contrasting tales from the same podium. Thought of it should be demoralising.

“It hasn’t been frustrating, I am rather grateful,” he says, noticing a surprise reaction, he expatiated. ”You see, I had a lot of friends even after the U20 couldn’t get the opportunity to play in Europe.

In my case, I got an opportunity to get to Europe, even though I didn’t get many opportunities to showcase my talent or show what I really had to the world, but it could have been worse; I have a lot of years ahead of me; that is what I have to concentrate on rather than thinking about the fact that I played the same tournament with Pogba and Oliver Torres or Harry Kane so I think I have to be there.”

“Of course, it is positive to think that you can really make it to the top, but the comparison is not something for me.”

You cannot begrudge Ghanaians for feeling hard done by the trajectory of his career.

Clifford was so good that Sellas needed to see him just once and got him on board the plane to Turkey. He was the last player to be added to the group when the team was leaving to Switzerland for its final preparations.

Inter Allies played a friendly match against the national team, and the rest is history.

He joined as a third choice midfielder in the Satellites set up behind Alfred Duncan and Salifu Seidu, but he gatecrashed into the lineup, replacing disappointing Duncan in the last group game against the USA and never looked back.

His touch, vision and final balls defied football belief. His phenomenal understanding of the game rooted in his reflexes of outwitting opponents, positioning and tackling. He could take his eyes off and give an inch-perfect pass.

He caressed the ball with distinction.

The making

For such a student of the game, the then 18-year-old oozed class and exuded brilliance of awareness and creativity. His intelligence with that spherical object called football was above his age.

Three high tempo games against Portugal, Chile and France had even neutrals accompany his skill, composure and final ball with applause.

The third of those successive games, which was the semifinal of the competition is one he has fond memories of.

”Playing at the World Cup was not an easy task,” releasing his clasped hands and throwing them in the air. “We played a France team that had Digne, Umtiti, Zouma, Kondogbia, Pogba, Yaya Sanogo and a whole lot to mention and all these were players playing high-level football; they were a complete team compared to Ghana.

“In my case, as an 18-year-old, a young boy who had just helped Inter Allies qualify to the premier; it was all about the positive energy, I didn’t really care about the names, it was just about the opportunity to play at the World Cup which was a dream come true so I had to give it my all and support the team in any positive way I could.”

That match might have been the one that got clubs drooling, and agents crawling.

There is a consistent hymn of many talents flattering at youth level and deceiving where it mattered most. Ransford Osei was on the same podium with Germany’s Toni Kroos in 2007. Dominic Adiyiah and Brazil’s Alex Texeira shared same podium, too.

These two, and their senior man in the what-could-have-been stakes, Nii Odartey Lamptey. Now he was the Pele that never was.

Spanish inquisition

History had to guide expectations, but it never did. Past remained in the past. A new dawn, a new star.

Clifford Aboagye during his time at Granada
When Granada won the race to sign him, destination La Liga got many excited. It was a platform that would parade him on a global scale.

“A lot of Ghanaians don’t really know what happened to me at Granada,” he says with a mood swing, signaling how sour the experience was.

“Many people know I wasn’t given opportunities.” There’s a pause for thought. “I had only 15 minutes to play against Seville in the Copa Del Rey,” Aboagye continued as he defines what it meant for a then 18-year-old.

“After the World Cup, when I got to Granada, I was not sent to the second team, I had to play with the U19s after winning the bronze player at the tournament.

“I had to work hard to get noticed by the coach, but there were times I would be called to the senior team, but I never had the chance to showcase what I had. There were so many factors [that frustrated my progress].

One of those is how footballers from the African continent are perceived.

“The perspective they have about Africans is that you have to be strong and to be frank, only a few Africans have made it playing in the midfield in La Liga: strong defenders, strong strikers, these are the players they fancy, but in my case, I was a smallish player who was technical, but they also had players who were equally good and probably as a foreigner, I’m sure they chose the Spanish players ahead of me.

Questions have often surrounded the decisions of young players moving to Europe after shining in youth tournaments. Daniel Opare to Real Madrid and Dominic Adiyiah to AC Milan are fairly examples. They never had opportunities either, and they’ve since been out of sight of those who idolised them.

“I could have made a better choice,” he admits, but still has no regrets for what was nearly a career ending destination.

“I was young, and I didn’t know much about football, but, now looking back at what happened, I think it was a learning process and I have been able to develop to overcome all those challenges,” Clifford ends the story with a smile, looking forward to a brighter future, creating his own luck.

But, why Mexico? “I had a decision to make, I wanted to develop my game.

Mexican rediscovery

“Looking at Mexico, I wasn’t going to get it difficult with the language and of course, the contract Atlas offered was a better contract coupled with the fact that I was going to play in the premier division, I thought I was lucky to get playing time in the top division. It was 50-50; either I stay in the second team in Granada or I leave and find the chance elsewhere.”

It’s been three years since he made the decision to leave Europe for North America. His current club is his third within the same period. Atlas, Queretaro and now Club Tijuana.

“I have learnt a lot,” he claims.

“You know what,” the narration of another story begins. “During my days at Granada, one of my coaches told me, ‘”Clifford, I know your qualities, what you have is not in Segunda B, you need to step up.’”

“It was one of the reasons why I had to take a new challenge and looking at this part of the world, you cannot mention the top three leagues without the Mexican league,” he stated

“The quality is high. We all know their consistency when it comes to the World Cup, most of their players come from the league. So, I think I made the right choice and that has helped me a lot.”

Return to the national consciousness

Seven years on after having even neutrals on their feet, and six years of obscurity, Clifford seems to have rediscovered himself.

In a recent interview, Black Stars Coach CK Akonnor revealed he’s monitoring the lad’s prowess in Mexico. The mention of it draws a grin.

“To be frank, I am really honoured to know that a great personality like CK Akonnor is monitoring me. It is always a joy to hear great personalities like that talk about you.

“He was a great player who has transitioned to a coach and has done well with those teams he has worked with: Dreams, Kotoko and now the national team.

“I know Kwasi Appiah was following me, too but I didn’t get the opportunity to debut under him, but hopefully, I can get the opportunity to play under CK Akonnor who likes the kind of football I play.”

The array of options available for CK in the fulcrum of the Black Stars leaves little room for others.

“I believe in myself, I know I have the talent, but that’s not enough, I need to work hard every day and approach everything with the right attitude, but I know I am probably more mature. Seven years since the world cup in Turkey, I have gained some more experience, too.

“The progress of every player is dependent on the coach – on how he wants to use you and confidence he gives you.”

Can he break into the current senior national team? “I am not the 18-year-old boy anymore,” he laughs, “I am 25 years and I have learnt a lot. I have had coaches that use me in deep positions to the extent that I play as a defensive midfielder in the number six position. This shows I have really learnt aside from the number ten position that everybody knows me to be and I am an all-round player now. Playing for a coach like Manuel Vucetich [one of the most decorated managers in the history of Mexican football] playing me as a number six shows that I have developed my game.”

A more complete player

Clifford attributes his dexterity to Willie Klutse, the Technical Director of Inter Allies who discovered him while in senior high school.

“Willie Klutse has always been a pillar in my life. He was the one who scouted me from [an] inter-regionals (football tournament). I was in Koforidua Secondary Technical; I got selected into the regional team, Eastern Region.

“We played a tournament in Accra, and Willie Klutse saw me and was like Omar [CEO of Allies], ‘you guys need to go for this boy.’”

As a young boy, playing in number 10, his focus was to breakdownw teams with a killer pass, but with Willie would change that.

“You know, number 10, mostly, we don’t do much defensive work, Klutse called me and said, ‘you need to add a bit of defensive work’, that would make you a complete player and that has really helped me a lot in my career.”

When Vucetich wanted him to switch as the anchor man for Queretero, he says, it was done effortlessly. There are conversations that a reborn Aboagye could be on his way back to Spain. He could also be considered for a place in CK’s team in the near future, one he describes as a dream yet to become a reality.

“I have always been working hard and I know someday, my time will come. That’s my prayer. The only thing I can do is keeping working until such time as the coach needs me to help and when I get it, I am going to give it my best as I have always done.”

Would you be part of AFCON?

His response is “kun faya kun.”

Source: Muftawu Nabila Abdulai