Ghanaian midfielder, Ibrahim Sulemana Karikari is set to be handed a start for Hellas Verona against Juventus in the Serie A tonight.
Karikari will enter the stadium Marcantonio Bentegodi against Juventus on Thursday with every reason to be joyful.
The budding starlet should not even be on a football pitch.
A promising trial period with fellow Serie A side Atalanta courtesy Ghanaian agent, Oliver Arthur’s ArthurLegacy Sports, was scuppered by a devastating injury.
Chances of ever making a comeback were limited and he was released. Such is the reality of top-flight football.
“Those were tough times for me, filled with many moments wondering if this was it for me as a footballer,” he recalls.
Fortunately for him, he had support from his family in Ghana and also his management team at ArthurLegacy.
“It’s quite amazing to see Sulemana enjoying his football again. For most, it’s a big moment for him today to start against a team like Juventus but I see it from a transformation perspective.
“What was almost truncated has been fixed through his hard work and the benefits are being reaped. These are the best moments for me as an agent,” says Oliver Arthur.
Salvatore Bocchetti’s team have not had many bright lights this season in what has been a difficult season so far.
Sulemana has been one of the few, paying back the team that took a chance on him to pay for his surgery and recuperate him.
“I spent a full year away from football after my injury, recovering from surgery and then the hard work of getting back into active shape,” he said.
Whatever the outcome of the game against Juventus tonight, Sulemana has come full circle and looks set for a path towards greatness.
The match kicks off at 5:30pm.
