From youth football in Ghana to Serie A in one year. From EurAfrica FC to AC Roma and the Conference League finals in one year. From youth football to World Cup squad in one year. Yes, it’s possible if you are Felix Afena-Gyan. Roma’s forward came in 2021 from Ghana and soon found this way into Jose Mourinho’s team. He is now preparing for his first major final – the UEFA Conference League, in which Roma will face Feyenoord. Afena-Gyan was also called for Ghana national team, a big achievement for the youngster. But it was tough at the beginning.🏆 It has been building up to this…Roma 🆚 Feyenoord📍 Arena Kombëtare, Tirana⏰ 21:00 CET #⃣ #UECLfinal pic.twitter.com/ncwRTzos1k— UEFA Europa Conference League (@europacnfleague) May 25, 2022 And coach Jose Mourinho, who gave him his chance and might even use him tonight has used Afena-Gyan as the example of how things can change in a positive way in a short period of time.“He was there, he didn’t have a contract and he was coming all the time with fake trainers and all the guys there were having fun with him. The moment he came here and the moment he scored a winning goal, I had to say: Felix, it’s time for the guys to stop bullying you, so let’s buy a proper pair of shoes. Now he signs a contract, he goes to Ghana national team and he has fun with the other guys because the other guys are not going to the World Cup, but he is. So in this moment things are changing” Mourinho told BT Sports.”He used to come for training with fake trainers and the guys were making fun of him” Jose Mourinho reveals the reason why he bought sneakers for Felix Afena-Gyan 🇬🇭😁#GhanaSoccerNet pic.twitter.com/YCdrykPklX— Ghanasoccernet.com (@Ghanasoccernet) May 25, 2022 Ahead of the big game for AC Roma, the Portuguese tactician decided to keep the cards to himself, so nobody knows if and when Afena-Gyan will be used. For tonight’s game, Mourinho’s biggest task will be to implement some of his own magic into this young and unexperienced team. While former Chelsea, Real and Inter coach has two Champions League trophies on his resume, his current team has a history of lost finals. First one was from 1984 in the middle of the Olympics against Liverpool in the Champions Cup final, and the second was the duel in the UEFA Cup final with Inter seven years later.No nonsense Mourinho ahead of the ECL final against Feyenoord: “This is history”Roma’s ambitions with Mourinho are clear: Top 4 in Serie A and the Champions League. Come September 2022, the pressure will be on to fulfill that ambition, and a possible European trophy in meantime can do no harm. But their opponent won’t give up that easily, after going into the finals against all odds. Feyenood has a rich history in Netherlands, but hasn’t been a European factor since 2002, when they won the UEFA Cup against Borussia Dortmund.🚨 Rioting in #Tirana #Albania with AS #Roma and #Feyenoord Rotterdam supporters the night before the #EuropaConferenceLeague Final, Italian and Dutch hooligans have been arrested Rioting still ongoing. pic.twitter.com/P3jdnPLzHg— Breaking News 24/7 (@Worldsource24) May 24, 2022 And while the teams are preparing for the finals, the club’s supporters are already fired up, according to the reports from Albania, in which the finals are taking place. Violent clashes broke out in Tirana on Tuesday night ahead of the Conference League final between Roma and Feyenoord, as Dutch fans attacked a local man and injured 10 police officers, authorities said. Eight Feyenoord fans were arrested for battering an Albanian man with a chair when he showed his support for the Roma team, and he had to be taken to hospital, police said in a statement. A group of around 200 Feyenoord fans also clashed with police while trying to reach the area where Roma fans were located. Supporters of the Italian club also attacked authorities with sticks and stones. A total of 60 supporters of both teams were arrested, said the police.Totti: ’I would give my number 10 to Dybala’Although the venue for Wednesday’s final, the National Arena in Tirana, has the capacity of only 21,000 seats, it is expected that a total of around 100,000 fans of both teams will come to the Albanian capital for the game. According to local authorities, fans will be divided into separate fan zones and will be able to watch the final on giant TV screens. Prior to the incidents, Albanian police said they have deployed 2,000 officers to ensure the match will be “transformed into a day of celebration”.UEFA Europa Conference League Final22:00 Roma – Feyenoord
