Chelsea and Tottenham transfer target idolizes Cristiano Ronaldo and has an agent who knows all about the pitfalls of football
“Destined for greatness,” talkSPORT is told when the name of teenage Under-20 World Cup sensation Adama Bojang comes up.
The 18-year-old gave Gambia a strong start at the tournament in Argentina, with his brace enough to beat Honduras 2-1 – his first strike after just 30 seconds.
Bojang was tipped for greatness (/caption)
This has already led to a rush to sign Bojang, including from Chelsea and Tottenham, as well as European clubs such as Inter Milan, RB Salzburg and Sporting Lisbon.
The prodigy’s agent, Cherno Samba, is a household name to people on these shores, especially those who remember Championship Manager, where Samba was a sensational prospect – just like his client now.
And the former Millwall and Plymouth striker had a word of warning for Bojang, who idolizes Cristiano Ronaldo, about the dangers of too much, too soon at the development stage for players.
Samba exclusively told talkSPORT.com: “I spoke to him, told him to keep his feet on the ground like me and my own story, being a striker.
“With the hype around me growing around his age, he couldn’t be in a better place for me to look after him. I can show him all the tricks of the game.
“He’s ready to go, he’s working hard and he’s hungry. I gave him a task before he goes to the World Cup, I want certain goals, certain man of the match awards and everything.
“And bless him, he scored them two goals and he said to me, ‘I told you I was going to do it. This is just the beginning’.
Gambia face France on Thursday night in a huge test for the young African side, arguably coming up against favorites to win the entire tournament.
There will be more eyes than ever to watch thanks to Bojang’s meteoric rise, but that won’t faze the striker, who currently plays for Gambian side Steve Biko FC.
“Absolutely (he’s ready to step in),” Samba added. “He is destined for greatness. He needs to go to a club that will develop him and the rest will be history, I tell you.
“Fingers crossed he stays clear of injuries but he will be a top, top, top player.
“He’s a very, very talented prospect, that’s for sure. He looks up to Cristiano Ronaldo and Harry Kane.
“He always watches YouTube videos of Cristiano and tries to imitate himself like that. He has the pace, he’s good in the air and he’s a goalscorer.
Samba has had his own incredible history in football, starting as one of the most sought-after youngsters while also scoring goals for fun at youth level for Millwall.
Liverpool and Manchester United chased his signature but sometimes in football the luck just isn’t on your side.
And now that he is turning his attention to the profession of agent, he is keen to ensure that young people in the sport do not follow the same paths.
The former striker said: “I tell Adama, ‘listen, prepare your football, focus on your game and everything else will happen on its own’.
“From my own experience and my own path when I was riding, those are the things I can take him away from.
“I deal with things he doesn’t need to know. Let me take the burden of this and he just needs to focus.
“I went there, did that and got the T-shirt, so there’s no better person to keep him away from gambling traps and bad apples.
“At this point, everyone is coming for you. This was done to me and I didn’t have enough experience to take it.
“I didn’t have the right people to guide me from the bad apples and the limelight and all that stuff. I am therefore the ideal person for him.
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