The 19-year old boy wonder from Ghana marked his Ligue 1 debut for new club Stade Rennais FC who drew 1-1 against Lens on opening day of the season with the former Nordsjaelland winger scoring the goal of his side.
The wonderful performance of Kamaldeen Sulemana did not go unrecognized by the French media that allocated ample media space to talk about the 58-minute debut of the Ghanaian.
Below is how Footmercato.net described Kamaldeen’s debut :
Recruited for € 15 million during this summer transfer window, Ghanaian winger Kamaldeen Sulemana made an impression for his first outing in the Stade Rennais jersey. Positioned on the left wing for the draw conceded against RC Lens (1-1), the young nugget from Rennes celebrated his debut in Ligue 1 with a little gem. Beyond this splendid goal, the former Nordsjaelland player distinguished himself with a significant contribution to the game.
Kamaldeen Sulemana (19) had also excited the supporters of Roazhon Park for his first appearance in Ligue 1 with the Bretons. 15th minutes had been played. Perfectly launched in depth by Flavien Tait, the Ghanaian international was going to mystify with a devastating hook before depositing, using the post, a delicious roll in the goal of Leca.
An explosive and versatile profile
“I see he’s staring at Steven (Fortes) and then, to be very frank, I’m so far from the ball that I feel like it’s going to come out. I always try to see what I could have done better, but, for once, I will not flog myself, ”admitted the Lens goalkeeper at the end of the meeting.
And for good reason, there was not much to do except applaud this celebrated jewel with a double somersault, worthy of the Olympic Games according to Benjamin Bourigeaud. A ride of 50 meters which is not the only feat of arms of the native of Techiman in this meeting.
Devourer of space and constantly in the percussion, Sulemana pushed the Lens defense to its limits. With an above average speed and volume of play, the Rennes wisp has never hesitated to use his technique to create shifts (4 successful dribbles out of 7 attempted). Combining liveliness and power, the Red et Black winger has often been sought after by his teammates.
Positioned to the left of the Rennes attack, the Ghanaian international (2 caps) was also illustrated by this ability to dezone and create a permanent imbalance for the opposing defense. Able to evolve at the forefront of the attack or on the right wing, he could therefore be associated with Jérémy Doku, a similar profile, and form an explosive duo in the weeks to come.
At the origin of many of the offensive movements of Stade Rennais this Sunday, his early exit (58th minute) linked to its “lack of rhythm” can already leave one dreaming and coincides with a certain drop in speed of men of Bruno Genesio.
The Stade Rennais under the spell
Arrived only three weeks ago in Ille-et-Vilaine and unknown to the general public, the ex-player of Nordsjaelland had nevertheless splashed the Superligaen (Danish first division) with his talent last season (10 goals and 8 assists in 29 matches).
And after less than an hour of play spent on the lawn of Roazhon Park, Kamaldeen Sulemana has already confirmed the Rennes managers of such an investment and his trainer seems in turn under the spell:
“we saw his speed and his percussion , but also his address in front of the goal. He is able to do this with his left foot. And I found it very structured on the defensive aspect, with a lot of replacement and counter-pressing efforts. This is a very encouraging first.
” Well integrated in the locker room, according to the words of Bourigeaud: “he is a young person who brings a lot of freshness, carefree. He is very happy. It’s a pleasure to see him smile in the morning, ”the new Stade Rennais recruit could well be one of the big revelations this season.
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