Ssali hasn’t given up on Arsenal dream

Like he had evaded opposing defenders with his right foot, Ssali cleared his teammates with his hands, sprinting towards his number one fan—his father, Moses Ssali, aka Bebe Cool. He jumped into his chest to seal the glorious photo moment.

This stuff—following Ssali’s cameo appearances at the Under-20 African Cup of Nations in Mauritania—was too good for a Big League side. Fans and neutrals wanted more. But a lot happened.  Proline was further relegated. And a long injury layoff further slowed Ssali’s progress.

Ssali may be the son of a renowned musician, but he must have inherited the football genes from his grandfather Jaberi Bidandi Ssali, the legendary football manager who presided over the most successful KCCA FC and Uganda Cranes teams of all time.

However, the 19-year-old, named after Arsenal legend Thierry Henry,  knows that beyond talent, he must put in more drills to realise his huge potential in top-flight football and maybe, live his wildest dream—joining Arsenal, the club his father loves as much as his music.

“Every kid in the world dreams of playing for clubs in Europe. But everyone needs a plan. You don’t just wake up in the morning and go sign. There are people in the Arsenal academy waiting to be promoted. So at my young age, 19 it’s a development process. 

"So my job is to develop to maybe around 21, 22 and if I play well in the league and show my skills, maybe they will pick me, maybe they won’t. But that’s football. Yeah I am working towards that dream,” Ssali told the press Monday afternoon, when he was officially unveiled as an Express player at Skyz Hotel, Naguru.

“I got an injury about one and a half years ago. But I have been working and training hard in and outside Uganda, to come back on the pitch. And I am ready to give my all to the club. I am 100 percent sure.

“I know Express is a big club, on the same level as Vipers, KCCA. I have been approached by many clubs but Express, as the name suggests, can help you express yourself on the pitch. I have many friends who have played for Express and they have told me how the system works. So Express is willing to give me time to prove myself.”

Ssali was, however, reticent about the goals he has set himself during the two-year deal. Express head coach James Odoch seems to be reading from the same script.

“Alpha is a young player, and Express is a big club. So I won’t be under any pressure working with him. I will decide when to play him depending on his performance in training,” Odoch said. “Of course there will be some pressure from the fans—his and the club fans—but we shall try to handle it.”

Ssali is comfortable playing as a winger but that is a preference, not a demand. “I will play anywhere the coach places me. Even if it's in goal.”

The Red Eagles have already signed Emmanuel Paul Wasswa (on loan from KCCA), and Seif Batte from Villa but Odoch hopes that Ssali’s  reunion with his national teammate Andrew Kawooya might ease life for each other at Wankulukuku and yield results for the six-time Uganda Premier League champions, who finished a distant 10th last season.

BRIEFLY

Born: December 29, 2003 (aged 19)

Debut: Proline Academy

Clubs: Proline 

Currently: Express 

Position: Winger

Parents: Moses Ssali, alias Bebe Cool & Zuena Kirema