The Hindu : Sport / Football : Wisdom’s signing

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Tuesday, Dec 18, 2007
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Wisdom’s signing — a wise move

P.K. Ajith Kumar

— Photo: S. Ramesh Kurup

Wisdom Abbey.

KOZHIKODE: Last month, the Viva Kerala authorities had begun to harbour doubts about their wisdom in signing up Wisdom Abbey as one of their foreign recruits for the I-League.

But, five matches into the league, they are congratulating themselves on deciding to let Wisdom stay back after all, following the All India Football Federation’s decision to allow an additional foreigner.

It has proved one of the wisest moves ever made by the young club from Kochi.

Wisdom, the 27-year-old striker from Ghana, has picked up two Man-of-the-Match awards and scored three goals to play a key role in his team’s promising campaign in the I-League — with eight points, the debutant is placed fourth.

Surprise package

Viva has proved to be the surprise package in the I-League, and Wisdom, the surprise weapon of Viva. “He has surprised us all,” admits A.M. Sreedharan, the Viva coach who wasn’t all that pleased with Wisdom when he began training at Kochi.

“I was not sure if he would fit in at Viva, though I knew that he could move the ball any direction and had the speed. But the way he has performed has been amazing.”

Mohun Bagan and Salgoacar, two teams which were particularly at the receiving end of Wisdom’s skills, would vouch for that.

He scored two goals and created the other in Viva’s 3-1 victory in Kolkata.

Then, last Saturday, against Salgaocar in Viva’s first home match here, he was the main difference between the two sides.

Delighted

“I am delighted that I have been able to perform consistently for my side,” says Wisdom. “My ambition now is now to help the team win the title; I am confident we could finish at least in the top five. I just hope to continue to score goals.”

His job always wasn’t to score goals, though. He had begun his career as a right wing back, before moving up the ladder, through the midfield, to the front line. “It was during the 1997 under-17 World Cup in Egypt, in which we lost 1-2 to Brazil in the final, that I began to play as a forward. Things would have been different for Ghana had we won that final against Brazil, whose attack was spearheaded by Ronaldinho,” recalls Wisdom.

He is however happy that he is able to play football once again. “I had nearly quit the game, when I got the call from Viva,” he reveals.

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