Abdul Fatawu Explained

Abdul Fatawu
Full Name:Abdul Fatawu Issahaku[1]
Birth Date:8 March 2004
Birth Place:Tamale, Ghana
Height:1.77 m
Position:Winger
Currentclub:Leicester City
Clubnumber:7
Youthclubs1:Tamale Utrecht Academy
Years1:2019–2022
Clubs1:Steadfast
Caps1:27
Goals1:20
Years2:2021–2022
Clubs2:→ Dreams (loan)
Caps2:7
Goals2:6
Years3:2022–2024
Clubs3:Sporting CP
Caps3:6
Goals3:0
Years4:2022–2023
Clubs4:Sporting CP B
Caps4:13
Goals4:2
Years5:2023–2024
Clubs5:→ Leicester City (loan)
Caps5:40
Goals5:6
Years6:2024–
Clubs6:Leicester City
Caps6:1
Goals6:0
Nationalyears1:2019–2020
Nationalteam1:Ghana U17
Nationalcaps1:2
Nationalgoals1:1
Nationalyears2:2021
Nationalteam2:Ghana U20
Nationalcaps2:6
Nationalgoals2:2
Nationalyears3:2023–
Nationalteam3:Ghana U23
Nationalcaps3:2
Nationalgoals3:2
Nationalyears4:2021–
Nationalteam4:Ghana
Nationalcaps4:19
Nationalgoals4:2
Club-Update:21:04, 19 August 2024 (UTC)
Nationalteam-Update:23:00, 10 June 2024 (UTC)

Abdul Fatawu Issahaku (born 8 March 2004), commonly known as Abdul Fatawu, is a Ghanaian professional footballer who plays as a winger for club Leicester City and the Ghana national team.

Club career

Steadfast

In 2019, at the age of fifteen, Fatawu started his career with Tamale-based club Steadfast FC, in the Zone One of the Division One League, the Ghanaian second tier. During his debut season, he immediately established himself as one of the most talented players in the league, scoring eight goals and assisting five in 13 matches before the league was halted due to the COVID-19 pandemic.[2]

In his second season, he scored 12 goals and made 12 assists in 14 league matches and picked up 8 man of the match awards.[3] In 2021, after the Africa U-20 Cup of Nations, Fatawu was linked with several European teams, some of them being Liverpool, Bayer Leverkusen, and Sporting CP.[4] [5] In October 2021, Fatawu joined Dreams on a loan until 2022.[6] In the same month, he was included in The Guardian's "Next Generation 2021", and was described by them as "arguably the best African prospect of his generation".[7]

Sporting CP

In April 2022, he was signed by Sporting CP on a five-year contract with a release clause of 60 million euros.[8] [9] This brought finality to rumors of him joining Sporting CP on loan from Liverpool and other transfer saga rumor. Prior to signing officially Fatawu had been at the club since February and had been training with the U-23 side. As he was an under age player at the time, and with the season already ongoing, he couldn't be registered with the first-team until the 2022–23 season, then, he began to train with the B team until available to play for the professional team.[10] [11]

Ahead of the 2022–23 season, Fatawu was named in the squad for pre-season training and tour for the first team.[12] He was involved in the team's preparations prior to the start of the season playing his first pre-season game against Belgium side Royale Union.[13] On 7 August 2022, he was named on the bench for the first match of the season. The following weekend he made his debut after coming on in the 80th minute for Francisco Trincão in Sporting CP's 3–0 victory over Rio Ave.[14]

Loan to Leicester City

On 31 August 2023, Fatawu signed for EFL Championship side Leicester City on a season-long loan from Sporting CP.[15] He made his club debut in the EFL Championship three days later, coming on as a 54th-minute substitute in a 1–0 home loss to Hull City.[16] On 21 October, he scored his first goal for the club in a 3–1 away win against Swansea City.[17] On 23 April 2024, he scored his first professional hat-trick, in a 5–0 home win against promotion rivals, Southampton.[18] There was a clause inserted into the loan that required Leicester to purchase Fatawu upon promotion for 17M Euros, which they did in May 2024. 50% of the difference between the sale price to Sporting (1.2 M Euros) and Leicester was provided to Fatawu's original club, Steadfast FC, who had inserted a sell-on clause in his sale to Sporting.

Leicester City

On July 1, 2024, Leicester City activated the buy clause and signed for 10 million euros on a permanent five-year deal contract with €7 million additional fee.[19] As a result, his jersey number changed from No. 18 to No. 7.[20] On August 19, 2024, he made his first Premier League debut as part of the first team squad for Leicester City against Tottenham Hotspur and provided his first Premier League goal assist in a 1–1 home draw. [21] [22]

International career

Youth team

In 2018, Fatawu was part of Ghana's national under-17 team managed by Karim Zito.[23] The team reached the finals of the 2018 WAFU Zone B U-17 Cup of Nations. They however lost in the final to rivals Nigeria via a 3–1 penalty shootout after a 1–1 draw after regulation time, with Fatawu missing his penalty in the shootout.[24] [25] Fatawu remained a member of the Ghana U-17 team and served as captain of the team in 2020, playing during the 2021 Africa U-17 Cup of Nations qualifiers, during 2020 WAFU Zone B U-17 Cup of Nations.[26] [27] At the tournament he scored the equalizing penalty in Ghana's 1–1 draw against Nigeria.[28] [29] Ghana were eliminated from the competition after losing 3–1 against Ivory Coast in their final group game. Ghana's only goal of the game was assisted by Fatawu.[30]

The following year, due to his impressive form, Fatawu was promoted into the under-20 squad at the age of 16, despite being much younger than the majority of his teammates. He was later selected to take part in the 2021 Africa U-20 Cup of Nations.[31] During the competition, he played all of the Black Satellites' matches, scoring two goals in the group stages to help his side win the title for the fourth time in its history.[32] [33] In that occasion, he was also adjudged as the Best Player of the Tournament.[34] [35]

Senior team

In March 2021, after his exploits with the U-20 side, Fatawu was given his first call-up to the senior team by C.K. Akonnor, as the Black Stars challenged South Africa and São Tomé and Príncipe in two qualifying matches for the Africa Cup of Nations.[36] He was called up alongside teammates from the U-20 AFCON winning team, Philomon Baffour and Ibrahim Danlad.[37]

Fatawu scored a free-kick goal against Uzbekistan when the Black Stars' B Team played Uzbekistan at the Markaziy Stadium. Even though the game ended 2–1 for Uzbekistan,[38] [39] he was highly praised by his performance.[40] [41] [42]

In September 2021, Fatawu made his debut for the Black Stars in a 3–1 victory over Zimbabwe in a 2022 FIFA World Cup qualifier.[43] [44] Fatawu made the 28-man squad for 2021 Africa Cup of Nations.[45] He was the youngest player in the Ghanaian team and the fourth youngest at the tournament.[46] On 27 September 2021, Fatawu scored his debut goal for the Ghana senior team against Nicaragua.[47]

Career statistics

Club

[48]

Club!rowspan="2"
SeasonLeagueNational cupLeague cupContinentalTotal
DivisionAppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoals
Steadfast2019–20Division One League13800——138
2020–21Division One League141200——1412
Total27200000002720
Dreams (loan)2021–22Ghana Premier League7600——76
2022–2313200——132
Sporting CP2022–23Primeira Liga60102030120
Leicester City (loan)2023–24Championship4062110—437
Leicester City2024–25Premier League100000—10
Total416211000447
Career total943431303010335

International

Appearances and goals by national team and year!National team!Year!Apps!Goals
Ghana202120
2022121
202310
202441
Total192

Scores and results list Ghana's goal tally first, score column indicates score after each Fatawu goal.

List of international goals scored by Abdul Fatawu
No.DateVenueOpponentScoreResultCompetition
1 27 September 2022 Estadio Francisco Artés Carrasco, Lorca, Spain 1–0 1–0 Friendly
2 10 June 2024 Baba Yara Stadium, Kumasi, Ghana 3–2 4–3 2026 FIFA World Cup qualification

Honours

Leicester City

2023–24[49]

Ghana U17

Ghana U20

Individual

External links

Notes and References

  1. Web site: FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022 – Squad list: Ghana (GHA) . . 14 . 15 November 2022 . 15 November 2022.
  2. Web site: Hafiz. Mohammed. 26 March 2020. Meet 16 years Division One Goal Sniper Issahaku Abdul Fataw Of Steadfast FC And Former U17 Star.. live. 19 March 2021. GhanaSoccernet. en. https://web.archive.org/web/20200327172519/https://ghanasoccernet.com/meet-16-years-division-one-goal-sniper-issahaku-abdul-fataw-of-steadfast-fc-and-former-u17-star . 27 March 2020 .
  3. Web site: 3 August 2021. Rauf Salifu, Stephen Diyuo and Ernest Kusi lead nominees for the Division One League Updates-Ghana Player of the Season prize.. 14 September 2021. Division One League Updates-Ghana.
  4. Web site: Osei . Bernard Esar Ebo . 7 April 2022 . #Donkomi: Abdul Fatawu Issahaku signs five-year deal with Sporting Club . 9 April 2022 . Citi Sports Online .
  5. Web site: Dawes . Olly . 7 April 2022 . Wonderkid Abdul Fatawu Issahku won't be signing for Liverpool after all . 10 April 2022 . HITC .
  6. Web site: 14 October 2021. Ghanaian youngster Abdul Fatawu Issahaku joins Dreams FC on loan- Reports. 4 January 2022. GhanaSoccernet. en.
  7. Web site: Next Generation 2021 by The Guardian. . 27 March 2022. en.
  8. News: 7 April 2022 . Sporting Lisbon sign Ghana teenager Issahaku . BBC Sport . 8 April 2022.
  9. Web site: 6 April 2022 . Abdul Fatawu Issahaku é Leão . 17 April 2022 . www.sporting.pt . pt-pt.
  10. Web site: Prodígio ganês contratado pelo Sporting já trabalha na Academia. pt. 27 March 2022.
  11. Web site: Issahaku atinge maioridade. 27 March 2022. pt.
  12. Web site: 17 May 2022 . 'Outstanding talent' Abdul Fatawu Issahaku included in Sporting CP's plans for pre-season . 14 August 2022 . GhanaSoccernet . en.
  13. Web site: 14 July 2022 . Sporting CP deploy Fatawu Issahaku in an unfamiliar role during pre-season friendly - MyJoyOnline.com . 14 August 2022 . www.myjoyonline.com . en-US.
  14. Web site: 14 August 2022 . Sporting CP win first home game of 2022/2023 . 14 August 2022 . www.sporting.pt . en.
  15. News: Abdul Fatawu Makes Leicester City Switch . Leicester City F.C. . 31 August 2023.
  16. News: Leicester City 0-1 Hull City: Liam Delap strikes to end Foxes' perfect start to new season. BBC Sport . 2 September 2023. 3 January 2024.
  17. News: Swansea City 1-3 Leicester City: Leaders come from behind to set second-tier record. BBC Sport . 21 October 2023. 3 January 2024.
  18. News: Leicester on brink of promotion after thumping Saints. BBC Sport . 23 April 2024. 24 April 2024.
  19. News: Millar . Colin . Leicester sign Fatawu after triggering buy option . 2024-08-21 . The New York Times . en-US . 0362-4331.
  20. Web site: Spinney . Fraser . 2024-08-15 . Leicester City confirm iconic shirt number changes for Wilfred Ndidi and Abdul Fatawu . 2024-08-21 . Leicester City News . en-GB.
  21. Web site: Ayamga . Emmanuel . 2024-08-20 . Fatawu Issahaku’s brilliant assist helps Leicester City secure draw vs Tottenham . 2024-08-21 . Pulse Ghana . en.
  22. Web site: Davies . Luke . 2024-08-20 . Abdul Fatawu explains what Steve Cooper did to inspire Leicester City fightback . 2024-08-21 . Leicestershire Live . en.
  23. Web site: Darkwah . Frank . 20 August 2018 . Black Starlets Coach name squad for WAFU U17 Championship . 9 April 2022 . Ghana Sports Online .
  24. Web site: Quao . Nathan . 16 September 2018 . WAFU Zone B U17: Ghana loses final to Nigeria on penalties . 9 April 2022 . CitiNewsroom .
  25. Web site: Abayomi . Tosin . 15 September 2018 . Golden Eaglets beat Ghana 3-1 on penalties in final . 10 April 2022 . Pulse Nigeria .
  26. Web site: 6 January 2021 . WAFU U-17 Cup of Nations: Ben names Ghana squad to face Nigeria . 8 April 2022 . Ghana Football Association .
  27. News: Kwafo . Eric Nana Yaw . 6 January 2021 . Ghana U-17 coach Ben Fokuo names 28-man squad for WAFU Zone B tournament . 9 April 2022 . Modern Ghana .
  28. News: Kwafo . Eric Nana Yaw . 9 January 2021 . WAFU Zone B U-17 tournament: Issahaku scores for Ghana in draw against Nigeria . 10 April 2022 . Modern Ghana .
  29. Web site: Tournoi UFOA B U17 : le Ghana et le Nigeria s'accrochent 1-1 . 8 April 2022 . CAFOnline . CAF-Confedération Africaine du Football . fr.
  30. Web site: Ghana crash out of WAFU Zone B tournament after 3-1 loss to Cote D'Ivoire . 16 April 2022 . Ghana Football Association .
  31. Web site: Football. CAF-Confedération Africaine du. Abdul Fatawu Issahaku – We're here to bring back the love. 19 March 2021. CAFOnline.com. en.
  32. Web site: 6 March 2021 . Ghana beat debutants Uganda to clinch Total AFCON U20 title . live . https://web.archive.org/web/20230129023209/https://www.cafonline.com/total-u20-africa-cup-of-nations/2021/news/ghana-beat-debutants-uganda-to-clinch-total-afcon-u20-title . 29 January 2023 . 19 March 2021 . CAFOnline.com . Confedération Africaine du Football (CAF) . en.
  33. Web site: 11 March 2021. U-20 AFCON: Abdul Fatawu Issahaku presents trophy to 'father' Haruna Iddrisu. 19 March 2021. Citi Sports Online. en-US.
  34. News: U-20 Afcon: Issahaku Abdul Fatawu named Most Valuable Player of the tournament. 19 March 2021. Modern Ghana. en.
  35. Web site: 7 March 2021 . Ghana's Fatawu named Total U20 AFCON player of the tournament . live . https://web.archive.org/web/20230225015700/https://www.cafonline.com/total-u20-africa-cup-of-nations/2021/news/ghana-s-fatawu-named-total-u20-afcon-player-of-the-tournament . 25 February 2023 . Confédération Africaine de Football.
  36. Web site: 18 March 2021. Ghana youth star Abdul Fatawu Issahaku opens up on receiving first Black Stars call up. 19 March 2021. GhanaSoccernet. en.
  37. Web site: Teye . Prince Narkortu . 16 March 2021 . Ghana call up 17-year-old U20 Afcon star Issahaku and two others for South Africa qualifier . 9 April 2022 . Goal.
  38. Web site: Uzbekistan 2-1 Ghana B: Issahaku's super strike not enough for Black Stars. live. 9 April 2021. www.goal.com. https://web.archive.org/web/20210326194959/https://www.goal.com/en/news/uzbekistan-2-1-ghana-b-issahakus-super-strike-not-enough-for/19f5t08sugugy181tg07z5r9hh . 26 March 2021 .
  39. News: Black Stars B suffer 2-1 to defeat to Uzbekistan in friendly. 9 April 2021. Modern Ghana. en.
  40. Web site: Issahaku: Tanko wants Ghana opportunities for Salzburg-linked teenage prodigy. live. 9 April 2021. www.goal.com. https://web.archive.org/web/20210407155724/https://www.goal.com/en/news/issahaku-tanko-wants-ghana-opportunities-for-salzburg-linked/1rp4az28qryfy1ig2yqcs4lr3w . 7 April 2021 .
  41. Web site: Ghana starlets Issahaku and co. warned against complacency. live. 9 April 2021. www.goal.com. https://web.archive.org/web/20210323183836/https://www.goal.com/en-gh/news/ghana-starlets-issahaku-and-co-warned-against-complacency/1u0g6rd61x8y01u8083s7q7tmw . 23 March 2021 .
  42. Web site: Ghana starlet Abdul Fatawu Issahaku weighing up Qatar, Switzerland and Italy offers. live. 9 April 2021. www.goal.com. https://web.archive.org/web/20210331163801/https://www.goal.com/en-gh/news/ghana-starlet-abdul-fatawu-issahakuweighing-up-qatar-switzerland-/iv3ey2mxcej61nonnrrz5gja8 . 31 March 2021 .
  43. Web site: 9 October 2021. Teenager Fatawu Issahaku impresses on Black Stars debut. 10 October 2021. GhanaSoccernet. en.
  44. Web site: 9 October 2021. Abdul Fatawu Issahaku starts against Zimbabwe. live. 10 October 2021. www.ghanafa.org. Ghana Football Association. https://web.archive.org/web/20211010043707/https://www.ghanafa.org/abdul-fatawu-issahaku-starts-against-zimbabwe . 10 October 2021 .
  45. Web site: 3 January 2022 . Milovan Rajevac names squad for Total Energies 2021 AFCON . 9 April 2022 . Ghana Football Association.
  46. Web site: 9 January 2022 . The six youngest players at the 2021 Africa Cup of Nations . 9 April 2022 . Michezo Afrika . en.
  47. Web site: 27 September 2022 . Fatawu Issahaku scores debut goal as Black Stars record narrow win over Nicaragua - MyJoyOnline.com . 2 November 2022 . www.myjoyonline.com . en-US.
  48. News: Abdul Fatawu Issahaku . Global Sports Archive .
  49. Web site: Championship: 2023/24: Current table . Soccerbase . Centurycomm . 5 May 2024.
    Web site: Leicester: Squad details: 2023/24 . Soccerbase . Centurycomm . 5 May 2024.
  50. Web site: Ghana Football Awards: Full list of winners - MyJoyOnline.com . 17 July 2021 . My Joy Online. 4 July 2021 .
  51. Web site: 18 December 2021 . SWAG Awards: Dreams FC star Abdul Fatawu Issahaku wins Discovery of Year Award . 19 January 2023 . GhanaSoccernet .
  52. Web site: 20 December 2021. Issahaku Abdul Fataw wins NASCO Player of the Month - November. 3 February 2022. Ghana Football Association.
  53. Web site: 30 April 2024 . Award Braces For Dewsbury-Hall & Rantala . 3 May 2024 . Leicester City Football Club .

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