Nigerian youngster Akinkunmi Amoo has been rated as the sixth-best Under-20 player outside Europe’s top five leagues by the International Centre for Football Studies (CIES).
Amoo’s reputation rose rapidly in the last two years whilst playing for Swedish side Hammarby. The 19-year-old’s blistering pace and dribbling ability set the Allsvenskan alight.
Although he could only help Hammarby to fifth place, his contribution of nine goals and five assists was undeniable.
Last season, Amoo was the second best young player in the Swedish league behind Veljko Birmancevic, who won the Allsvenskan with Malmo.
The Nigerian wonderkid’s displays have not gone unnoticed as Amoo attracted interest from Rangers, but he opted for a move to Danish side FC Copenhagen.
The Nigerian star’s displays were also noticed in the latest report by CIES for players born after 2002 and playing outside of the top five European leagues- Premier League, Ligue 1, Laliga, Bundesliga, and Serie A.
The key areas that were considered were the footballers’ pitch production depending on position played, and the general level of the matches in which they participated.
The report consists of 100 players, and only Ryan Gravenberch(Ajax), Devyne Rensch(Ajax), Arsen Zakharyan(Dinamo Moscow), Jakub Kaminski(Lech Poznan), and Fabio Carvalho(Fulham) ranked above Amoo.
The 19-year-old was part of Nigeria’s U-17 team that was knocked out in the Round of 16 at the Under-17 World Cup in 2019.
