Africa Sports

Four facts about 2023 AFCON Best Young Player Simon Adingra

Côte d’Ivoire youngster, Simon Adingra, emerged as the Best Young Player at the 2023 Africa Cup of Nations.

The Right to Dream Academy graduate produced two assists in the final as Côte d’Ivoire came from behind to beat Nigeria 2-1 to lift the title.

But what else is there to know about the Brighton and Hove Albion winger?

Right to Dream

Adingra was fortunate to enrol at the Right to Dream Academy in Ghana at an early age.

There, he was trained to control his explosiveness and develop the ability to combine his explosive speed and dribbling ability to devastating effect.

Around the same time Adingra was in the Academy, West Ham star Mohammed Kudus, Southampton winger, Kamal Deen Sulemana and Olympique Lyon winger Ernest Nuamah were there too.

After four years in the world-famous academy, Simon Adingra joined Danish club Nordsjælland, like many before him.

Nordsjælland

The trip to Nordsjælland is a well-traveled path by graduates of the Right to Dream Academy in Ghana. So Adingra’s move to the Danish club in January 2020 was in many ways natural.

In less than a year, he made his professional debut when he featured in a 2–2 league draw with Copenhagen on 18 April 2021. He replaced Ivan Mesík in the 68th minute of the game and went on to score his team’s second goal.

That was the first of many as the Ivorian locked down a place in the team with consecutive, brilliant performances.

Adingra’s progress was hard to miss and in no time, the world’s top clubs came calling.

On 24 June 2022, Adingra joined Premier League club Brighton & Hove Albion after signing a four-year contract. Ten days later, he was loaned to Brighton’s Belgian sister club Union SG for the 2022–23 season.

Adingra made his Brighton debut as a substitute in the opening game of the 2023–24 season on 12 August. He opened his account in the same match when he scored the Seagulls’ third goal in a 4–1 home win over newly promoted Luton Town.

AFCON Debut

Simon Adingra made his AFCON debut as an 83rd-minute substitute in Côte d’Ivoire’s 4-0 loss to Equatorial Guinea in their final Group B match.

By the end of the tournament, Adingra had established himself as one of the best performers.

He finished the tournament with a goal – a 90th-minute equalizer against Mali, to his name and two assists.

Relationship status

Like many footballers, Adingra’s early successes and fame in the sport have made him a target for the ladies.

However, Simon Adingra has no known girlfriend at this time.

 

Source: mynewsgh.com

Ogyem Solomon

Solomon Ogyem – Media Entrepreneur | Journalist | Brand Ambassador Solomon Ogyem is a dynamic Ghanaian journalist and media entrepreneur currently based in South Africa. With a solid foundation in journalism, Solomon is a graduate of the OTEC School of Journalism and Communication Studies in Ghana and Oxbridge Academy in South Africa. He began his career as a reporter at OTEC 102.9 MHz in Kumasi, where he honed his skills in news reporting, community storytelling, and radio broadcasting. His passion for storytelling and dedication to the media industry led him to establish Press MltiMedia Company in South Africa—a growing platform committed to authentic African narratives and multimedia journalism. Solomon is the founder and owner of Thepressradio.com, a news portal focused on delivering credible, timely, and engaging stories across Ghana and Africa. He also owns Press Global Tickets, a service-driven venture in the travel and logistics space, providing reliable ticketing services. He previously owned two notable websites—Ghanaweb.mobi and ShowbizAfrica.net—both of which contributed to entertainment and socio-political discussions within Ghana’s digital space. With a diverse background in media, digital journalism, and business, Solomon Ogyem is dedicated to telling impactful African stories, empowering youth through media, and building cross-continental media partnerships.

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