Who is Akinkunmi Amoo? Nigeria’s ‘little Messi’ wanted by Dortmund and Ajax

Updated: 30 Nov 2021 20:10 GMT
4 min read

Akinkunmi Amoo playing for Hammarby — © ProShots

The title of the 'next Messi' has been banded around pretty much since Lionel himself broke through into the Barcelona first-team.

Many have come and gone since then, with the majority of players handed that label failing to make a significant mark on professional football.

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The next in line is Akinkunmi Ayobami Amoo, a Nigerian winger who plays for Hammarby in Sweden.

But, who is he, and why do the comparisons to Lionel Messi exist?

What position does Akinkunmi Amoo play in?

Amoo is primarily a winger, who traditionally operates on the right flank. He can play through the middle, whether that be as a central striker, or an attacking midfielder, if needed.

How good is Akinkunmi Amoo?

A left-footed right winger rising through the ranks will draw certain comparisons from pundits, and Amoo has even admitted: “I usually hear that I play like Leo Messi, so I am sometimes called ‘Little Messi’. He’s my role model.”

Cutting inside like the PSG man, Amoo is a goal-scoring wideman, perhaps more akin to Mohamed Salah than Messi, with his 13 goals and four assists in 35 games at the start of this season certainly a promising amount for such a young player.

Playing in a lesser European league, it's hard to judge just how good Amoo is, but the early signs suggest he could become a very handy player.

Smooth when running with the ball, Amoo drifts inside to link up with his team-mates, while occupying the right-hand channel, just like Salah does for Liverpool.

This has been his breakout year, which has come sooner than many expected.

Zlatan Ibrahimovic is a part-owner of Hammarby, and spoke to Amoo about his future. "It was incredible. I was very impressed and happy. Zlatan is an incredibly great football player that I look up to, but above all a very nice person," the teenager told SportExpressen in June last year.

"We talked a lot when we met and he gave me advice for the future. It felt like I became even braver after our conversation.

"Zlatan said that I should dare to play my game, stay focused all the time and not be afraid of anyone because then I will develop."

What clubs are interested in Akinkunmi Amoo?

Borussia Dortmund, Leicester, and Ajax are the three teams leading the way right now. That's perhaps unsurprising considering their track record with identifying and improving young talents.

Amoo would be yet another name to add to the collection for each side, but he won't rush to a decision.

According to Goal, Milan and Monaco both wanted Amoo, but he opted to join Hammarby, acknowledging that first-team football is vital, rather than playing in the youth sides, occasionally making the senior squad.