<img27867|left>The first is just twenty years old, he is Colombian, a goalkeeper, and signed a four-year contract at the beginning of July with OGC Nice. The second is barely eighteen years old since two weeks, he is Ghanaian, a forward. He has just joined the Gym for three years after training with the professional group for four months while waiting for his majority.
Both played this Tuesday against Créteil. David Ospina was a starter as for all the cup matches. He delivered a solid performance. Abeiku Quansah came in during the final minutes and already showed his potential to the azur public who had been waiting for him for long weeks.
These two players represent the future of the red and black club. Yet they remain relaxed since their arrival and evolve quietly. “The team has been magnificent from the start. Everything is going very well. I am really happy. My adaptation is going perfectly. During my four games, there was great trust between the group and me. But for now, I want to continue learning to be ready when they need me,” explains David Ospina. Four games, three wins including the derby and a draw. Enough to ease the adaptation of the one who is expected to succeed Lionel Létizi after the break.
Abeiku Quansah, on his part, arrives on tiptoe. Just qualified, he made his first appearance in Frédéric Antonetti’s group last week in Lorient, without being able to play. Tuesday, at the Ray, the Corsican technician gave him a chance to show what he’s worth by substituting him in for Anthony Modeste six minutes before the end of the match. The young Ghanaian firecracker handled his debut well. Two days later, he still has stars in his eyes: “I was very happy, impressed by all of this. Everything was not easy but my performances allowed me to be in the team. So when I came in, I said to myself: ‘This is football.’ Playing in France was very important to me. I didn’t feel any pressure, I was just very happy.”
Both Ospina and Quansah have difficulties speaking French, but they show every day in training that it is not a big problem, their talent doing the rest. Moreover, the goalkeeper assures that everything is going well: “We understand each other easily. Now, I manage to understand many things in French. With each match, it improves, but the most important thing is the team and the collective results.” Since his arrival last July, the young Colombian continues to work alongside Bruno Valencony, Lionel Létizi, and Jérémie Moreau. His coach is delighted with the progress made: “I am not disappointed by what Roger Ricort saw when he scouted him. He has so far confirmed the hopes we placed in him. We knew what the coach had in mind, for now, it is going as planned.”
Quansah’s integration is also going perfectly. Trialed at the same time as his compatriot Adu in July, he also signed his first professional contract as soon as he came of age. Today, though he aspires to be a starter, he also imagines his joy after his first goal for Nice – “It will be fabulous, I will be so happy that I will jump around” – and especially wants to pay tribute to the supporters: “I’ve never seen such incredible fans in a stadium. They push you to be better. Thanks to them, we are much stronger. Moreover, it was strange to see that they knew me and were waiting for me so much. But Tuesday was fabulous.”
The two players are expected to play other matches together in the weeks to come, given their immense talent. They form with Mahamane Traoré or Kafoumba Coulibaly the future of the Gym. To dream about European football…
