This week's football wonderkid comes from the depths of the English Football League, in Manchester's industrial suburb of Rochdale.
Rochdale AFC teenager Kwadwo Baah, a tender 17 years of age, announced himself by scoring a pair of goals in Tuesday's League One match against Charlton that would make any Premier League winger envious.
Both goals came from the left wing, the opener a sublime first-time strike, and the second a powerful bottom-corner finish after a clever dribbling sequence.
The German import made his club debut as a 16-year-old in October of 2019 but has only really started to display his talent this season. After an assist off the bench in the season opener, Baah was left out of the squad for more than two months. Since then, the teenager has appeared in eight of the last nine matches for The Dale, including three goals in three starts.
“He’s a very special talent," Rochdale manager Brian Barry-Murphy said, "he’s going to attract the headlines – and rightly so because he’s a very dangerous player."
Several Championship sides have been linked with the player, notably Bournemouth, Norwich City and Middlesbrough, as well as numerous Bundesliga clubs. Baah will hope to follow in the footsteps of another recent 'Dale product Luke Matheson, the right back who secured a $1.21 million transfer to Wolves after his memorable debut goal against Manchester United in last season's League Cup.
Baah's own debut goal just a month ago, another authoritative strike with his right foot, is just as impressive:
17-year-old Kwadwo Baah scored this for @officiallydale last night…
— EFL (@EFL) December 16, 2020
Baah is German-born but moved to the UK at age six and has Ghanaian parents, meaning he is likely eligible at the international level for all three countries.
He previously gained brief fame during his time as a Crystal Palace academy prospect, when as a ballboy during a match against West Ham, Baah he went on the pitch and placed the ball in the six-yard box to counter the time-wasting of West Ham goalkeeper Adrián.
Ladies and Gentlemen: Kwadwo Baah. pic.twitter.com/4SKXgaQJ2l
— Crystal Palace F.C. (@CPFC) October 21, 2016
The clip also shows the early inspiration behind his goal celebrations on Tuesday:
With more superb goals like the ones he has scored this season, Baah might just be flipping his way to a top club in the near future.
