The 27-year-old has what it takes to perform for the Porcupine Warriors, according to the club’s former forward
Ex-Asante Kotoko striker Eric Bekoe is backing new club signing Michael Vinicius to follow in the footsteps of Brazilian compatriot Fabio Gama Dos Santos and take the Ghana Premier League by storm.
Vinicius sealed a two-and-a-half-year deal to the Porcupine Warriors last week, becoming the fourth Brazilian to join the club in the last 16 years following Fabio Gama Dos Santos last year, Gleisson de Souza Ferreira in 2005 and Hermes da Silva in 2013.
Last October, Gama transferred to Kotoko amid questions over his quality but a run of fine performances in the GPL has seemingly silenced many of his critics.
“Kotoko have made the perfect signing. If a car has a problem with the engine, we don’t buy a tire. Today we have watched videos of the boy [Vinicius],” former GPL top scorer Bekoe told Energy FM. “When Gama was coming people said all sort of things.
“They said he is a carpenter, but for me, Fabio Gama is my toast of the season. Football is being played by footballers and it has one language.
“So it doesn’t matter whether you are from Kosovo or South America. If you understand the football language that is it. People say Fabio Gama is weak and he needs to be strong. That is how he is made to play.”
Vinicius featured for Fluminense and Criciuma in his homeland before leaving for Estoril in Portugal in 2016.
He then made a comeback to Brazil, joining America Mineiro, and going on to also play for Resende and Cascavel before transferring to Linkoping City in Sweden in 2019.
“Fabio Gama might be weak but what is his contribution on the field compared to those we think are fit for. In Ghana when you are muscular that is when people think you are fit,” Bekoe added.
“If you look at the [recent Caf Confederation Cup] game against ES Setif, Kwame Poku was the only bulky player in the Kotoko team, but look at the Setif team, body-wise, tactical wise, discipline on the field and everything. We have a long way to go.”
Last year, he was on the books of Japanese third tier side Grulla Marioka before returning to Sweden to join Vasalunds.
Kotoko, 23-time GPL champions, are looking to win the title for the first time since 2014. They sit fourth on the league table midway through this season’s championship.
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