EUROPA LEAGUE
Myron Boadu
AZBullish, powerful and pacy, with a distinct
taste for the jugular, AZ’s 18-year-old
striker has proved an irresistible force this
season. A youngster with a point to prove
and a sporting voice loud enough to
make sure it’s heard.
After a terrible run of bad luck with
injuries in recent times – he missed
much of the 2017-18 campaign with a
knee injury and was sidelined for seven
months last term with a broken ankle- the teenager is now fit and firing on
all cylinders, piling up the goals, creating
chances for team-mates and scoring on
his Holland debut in November’s 5-0
Euro 2020 qualifying win against Estonia.
For the Amsterdam-born son of a
Ghanaian father and Dutch mother, the
higher the stakes the better he seems to
perform. In this season’s Europa League
he has amassed half a dozen goals as
well as being a matchwinner in top-of-
the-table Eredivisie clashes, notably
netting a brace in a 4-0 win at PSV and
scoring the only goal of the game in a
precious home victory over Ajax.
At times he appears unstoppable,
always loitering on the shoulder of the
last defender, and too strong and quick
to derail.
With Boadu putting away chances for
kicks, AZ are not only serious contenders
for a Champions League berth – they
may even have a shot of the Dutch title.
“Boadu can come up with a goal at
any moment,” says his AZ coach Arne
Slot. “But you sell him short if you only
assess him on goals and assists. He works
really hard for the team.
“He applies good aggressive pressure
when we’re not in possession.”
Incredible to think that several years
ago, at the age of 11, he was turned down
by Ajax, who invited him for a three-day
trial but were not especially impressed.
Shortly afterwards, he was offered a
place at the AZ academy, where he
swiftly developed into a youth-team
and then reserve-side starlet.
Ajax, hoping that he had forgotten
their snub, would later try to lure him
away. Arsenal were also keen. But he
preferred to stay loyal to AZ. “I never
regretted rejecting those clubs,” he told
Voetbal International magazine. “I knew
how good I had it at AZ. Ajax had to
convince me. They didn’t succeed.”
Single-minded and self-confident,
he took the right option.“Boadu can come up with a goal
at any moment, but you sell him
short if you only assess him on
goals and assists” AZ coach Arne SlotConfident...
Myron Boadu