At 23, Paris Saint-Germain striker Bradley Barcola continues to gain recognition far beyond the club. In comments reported by JS Grond, Emmanuel Adebayor praised the Frenchman’s rise to prominence after his performances against Chelsea, while also setting a new benchmark for him in the attacking hierarchy.
“My goodness, my confidence (referring to Barcola, who is Franco-Togolese)! Barcola is scoring goals again, he’s making assists. He’s enjoying himself. We saw last year, he was truly inspired.” ๐ฑ’๐ผ๐ฐ๐ฐ๐ฎ๐๐ถ๐ผ๐ป๐. To be a top-level player, especially on the left wing, you have to be able to score 20-30 goals.
He scored a brace in the Champions League against Chelsea, which is a real achievement. I think that “He’s a young player, but if he manages to score a few more goals, we’ll talk about him as a ‘young player of collective football’!”
Adebayor’s point rings true because he’s neither trying to overvalue Barcola nor to hinder his progress. The former striker acknowledges a player who is already very important, capable of turning a match around and making an impact with both his goals and his assists. And, on this point, recent events bear him out: Barcola scored in the first leg against Chelsea and then scored again in the return leg at Stamford Bridge, during a period when his confidence had returned.
But the reservation he expressed is just as valid. To reach the level of world-class players, a winger of this caliber must translate his flashes of brilliance into consistent performance. In short, Barcola is no longer simply promising: he is now expected to reach the top, with almost no excuses. He just needs to be more consistent in his performances.
