By Sulayman Bah
It’s happy times for Banjul Hawks’ former player Musa Barrow who over the weekend officially debuted in the Italian Serie A.
One of Europe’s best top-five leagues, an appearance in the Italian premier championship has long beckoned beginning from the time he switched there.
It’s rare for Gambian raw talents to make the quick ascension in any top tier championship and yet this 19-year-old did just that.
He certainly isn’t the first from the Smiling Coast to seek pastures new in Italy and sign with a top notch outfit.
Ali Sowe, Lamin Jallow and Yusupha Bobb all did but none cemented a regular place in the very pinnacle of the game in the European country.
The aforesaid names, excluding Bobb, at one point got promoted to their respective club’s first teams but weren’t retained any further and now play for other clubs on loan deals with Sowe’s sojourn taking him to faraway Albania where he remains a maverick.
There are already fears whether Musa won’t be parceled and delivered in the manner his compatriots were shipped on a loan spell tailor-made for his quick morphing.
This notion though will be shoved under the pillow as too early a judgment. Of preoccupation for the youngster this moment will be rejoicing over his feat which can only be, an island of dream for many African players of his age.
The striker, the subject of overtures from AS Roma, Sampdoria and even leaders Juventus, climbed off the substitutes’ bench to replace teammate Hateboer seven minutes to game’s end.
Atlanta, his club, drew that game one-all against a lowly standing Crotone on Saturday.
The ex-Gambia U-20 attacker first made his cameo for Atlanta in the narrow 1-0 loss to Juventus in the Coppa Italia last week.
While he wouldn’t want to wake up from this ongoing dream of his, striving to remain relevant in the midst of established professionals could be paramount for his continuous inclusion in the Atlanta A-team.
Elsewhere, Sulayman Marreh also made his first appearance for Spanish second tier outfit Almeria in a 1-0 defeat to Osasuna.
