Kumasi Asante Kotoko goalkeeper Felix Annan has recounted a beautiful 2019 as today 31st December marks the last day of the year and also a decade.
The Asante Kotoko shot stopper is undoubtedly the number 1 goalkeeper on the local scene but at some point it appeared the handlers of the national team were casting their glances elsewhere but that breakthrough finally came this year.
Felix ‘Van’ Annan as he is affectionately called due to comparisons with former Manchester United goalkeeper Van Der Sar finally made his debut for the Black Stars on 29th March 2019 in a friendly game againts Mauritania which Ghana won comfortably 3-1.
Since then, the former Wafa loanee has never looked backed going to the Wafu nations cup as the goalkeeper for the Black Stars B and helping the team to second place finish.
He was also the only local player among the 23 players named for the 2019 African Cup of Nations in Egypt a feat which should be applauded since for much of 2019 football was on a hiatus.
Due to his leadership qualities the shot stopper was named new captain of Ghanaian giants Asante Kotoko.
The 24-year-old Ghana international replaced Amos Frimpong who was signed by Guinean side AS Kaloum Stars.
Felix Annan was also named as the goalkeeper of the year at this year’s edition of the Ghana Football Awards held on Sunday, July 21, 2019, at the Marriot Hotel in Accra.
The goalkeeper had an excellent 2019 season and that helped him pick the top award ahead of Black Stars first choice goalkeeper Richard Ofori and Nana Bonsu of Enugu Rangers.
Under the year in review, Annan manned the sticks for the Porcupine Warriors during their campaign in the CAF Confederations Cup which they managed to advance into the group stages.
The goalkeeper also helped the Kumasi based side to win the tier 1 of the Ghana Football Association (GFA) Normalization Committee (NC) Special Competition.
He also helped Kotoko qualify for the Caf Champions league and Confederations Cup although they failed to progress to the group stage.
Its is the second year in a row that Felix Annan has picked up the goalkeeper of the year award.
It has not always been smooth sailing for Annan as he had to bide his time before getting his breakthrough since joining Kotoko during the 2011 season.
At the time he was down the pecking order as he had to compete with stalwarts like the late Soulama Abdullai and Isaac Amoako.
It took two loan spells at both West Africa Football Academy (WAFA)and Real Tamale United (RTU) to fine tune and harness his innate talent into what we are seeing today but with resilience and determination Felix Annan can today say he made it at ‘pressure cooker’ Asante Kotoko and is undoubtedly a fans favourite.
His success story and journey is proof that hard work trumps every curses and obstacles in life.
The goalkeeper tweeted giving thanks to his maker for a successful end of year with a catalogue of his saves.
As if that is not enough early next year on the 18th January Felix Annan will also walk Franca Yeboah down the aisle in Dormaa Ahenkro so its been a remarkable 2019 hopefully 2020 becomes better.
VIDEO BELOW:
365/365 🙏🏼🔥💯!Much Grateful!Thank You 2019 🙏🏼 Thank You Lord Jesus🙏🏼💯 #Appreciation #One❤️#WeMoveOn #2020 🔥🔥💯💪🏿 pic.twitter.com/HOH1IGl7CZ
— Felix Annan (@van_felix12) December 31, 2019
— (@van_felix12)
