Since October 5, the last market day, Umar Sadiq (1997, Kauna, Nigeria) landed in Almería, he has not gone unnoticed. That he was the replacement for Darwin Núñez, helped to do so, as well as the five million euros (which can be nine according to bonus) that the rojiblanco club subscribed to Partizan Belgrade for a young striker who had not yet shown anything in one of the strong leagues in Europe. The five-year contract that he signed made it very clear that it was a strong bet. And although the first days he did not start as a starter while he finished adapting, Gomes gave him the role of undisputed starter, participating less than others in his particular rotations (only Cuenca and Balliu have played more than him).
The Nigerian is a peculiar type. His clumsy appearance has been the subject of some ridicule, even denouncing in March 2013 harassment by Gerrard, who was his coach at Rangers. Despite his youth, from the first moment he took the pressure, assuring in his first statements as rojiblanco that a great project should have a great striker. The pressure that he imposed on himself took its toll, noticing himself too anxious during the first league stretch, missing occasions that in normal conditions it should not. Gomes threw a cap on it publicly and assured when it had not yet been released that it would reach fifteen goals.
His teammates also wrapped him up both in the privacy of the dressing room and in a public way. In mid-November against Mirandés he was reunited with the goal 442 minutes and six games later and did not celebrate, leaving one of the images of the season with Balliu playing captain without armband, grabbing his head and cheering him on. He had already been hitting the door hard, but it was yesterday against Ponferradina when he knocked it down with a double in less than half an hour. On Hispanic Heritage Day 1996 UIsmael Izurzun achieved it so quickly in Segunda in a Las Palmas 3-4 Real Madrid. Sadiq, who was not even born then, did it yesterday. His pressure, backstroke game, support and breaking unchecks and their particular conductions.
“He is a very heavy point for the centrals when he squeezes the opposite and he has quality, he is very strong and he likes to score goals, to know how to do them. You have to give him affection to help him in whatever it takes to improve In bad times we gave him confidence”Gomes said yesterday, while the sheikh commented on Twitter that if he had missed the third goal, he would have broken his television (a screen already burst during confinement after receiving a goal in FIFA in a charity game). In that goal the essence of Sadiq appeared, beating Caro after not scoring an empty goal to make three cuts to the goal. Olympic medalist (bronze in 2016), Spezia recruited him at the age of 16, acquiring him in 2017 for 2.5 kilos, then leaving on loan to the Bologna, Torino, NAC Breda, Rangers and Perugia before leaving for Serbia, where last year he scored 17 goals, participating last summer in the Europa League. In Almería he wants to put down roots and make history with a promotion surpassing the 15 goals of Darwin Núñez.