Sarpong went by means of the Ajax youth academy and made his debut for Ajax 1 in 2005 on the age of seventeen through the cup match in opposition to FC Eindhoven. Early 2006, his competitors debut befell through the Klassieker in Rotterdam. After enjoying a number of matches on the finish of the 2005/2006 season, Sarpong didn’t seem within the first group’s plans once more till the summer season of 2008. “My debut definitely left me wanting extra. I performed beneath Danny Blind from time to time, however then I used to be disregarded of the group. Then a brand new coach got here in who additionally introduced in gamers who performed in my place and had extra expertise. That was logical, however it was additionally a little bit of a change for me as a younger participant. I additionally misplaced my mom throughout that interval, which made it a troublesome time.”
Compression socks
Within the 2007/2008 season, Ajax, led by Marco van Basten, performed within the preliminary spherical of the then UEFA Cup in opposition to FK Borac. On 19 September 2008, the Amsterdammers travelled to Serbia. “That is fairly a pleasant story”, he laughs. “I used to be launched to compression socks there. As a younger boy, I believed I might simply do a visit like that; flying, ready, strolling, coaching and enjoying a match. Throughout that match, my calves grew to become fully stiff. From then on, I performed with these socks. That is one thing I keep in mind from that journey.”
Ajax received simply 1-4 in Serbia. Sarpong performed 75 minutes on ‘ten’ and performed along with gamers like Klaas Jan Huntelaar, Miralem Sulejmani, Luis Suarez, Jan Vertonghen and Thomas Vermaelen. “That was nice. We had gamers with lots of expertise within the group. For instance, I realized lots from Urby Emanuelson, he was such a technical participant.”
Good aim
The return in Amsterdam was a uninteresting match, however Sarpong broke the sport open after greater than seventy minutes of play. The younger midfielder acquired the ball from Huntelaar and fired the ball onerous behind the goalkeeper from exterior the sixteen. “Diagonally into the nook,” he remembers. “I began on the bench, got here on and wished to indicate myself after I got here on. It was my first European aim, so an incredible second for me. It wasn’t an incredible match, however as Ajax you all the time must win a duel like that.”
In the meantime, 35-year-old Sarpong has settled in Lithuania at Panevezys. He performed there this week within the preliminary spherical of the UEFA Champions League. He’s doing effectively in Lithuania and nonetheless follows Ajax. “I’m comfortable, my household is with me and I’m having fun with myself. And I nonetheless observe Ajax intently, for certain.”
Combined emotions
He describes his time in Amsterdam as ‘combined emotions’. “On the one hand, I used to be proud that I performed for probably the most lovely membership within the Netherlands. It was my boyhood dream, in order that was nice. However alternatively, I wished to get extra out of it. It was primarily an academic interval, as a result of I noticed that issues can change shortly on the earth of soccer: from a daily participant to virtually no minutes in a brief interval.”
Francesco Farioli’s Ajax will face one other Serbian group on Thursday night within the second preliminary spherical of the UEFA Europa League: FK Vojvodina. Sarpong isn’t any stranger to this. Three years in the past, he performed in opposition to FK Vojvodina along with his present group. Each matches within the preliminary spherical of the UEFA Convention League had been misplaced 1-0. “They had been a businesslike group then and I anticipate, as a result of it’s now the Europa League, that they’ve improved a bit. I feel they’ll sag in opposition to Ajax and put up little strain. But when Ajax does what they will, particularly with this new coach, it ought to work out wonderful,” he concludes.
