Four facts about 2023 AFCON Best Young Player Simon Adingra

Côte d’Ivoire youngster, Simon Adingra, emerged as the Best Young Player at the 2023 Africa Cup of Nations.

The Right to Dream Academy graduate produced two assists in the final as Côte d’Ivoire came from behind to beat Nigeria 2-1 to lift the title.

But what else is there to know about the Brighton and Hove Albion winger?

Right to Dream

Adingra was fortunate to enrol at the Right to Dream Academy in Ghana at an early age.

There, he was trained to control his explosiveness and develop the ability to combine his explosive speed and dribbling ability to devastating effect.

Around the same time Adingra was in the Academy, West Ham star Mohammed Kudus, Southampton winger, Kamal Deen Sulemana and Olympique Lyon winger Ernest Nuamah were there too.

After four years in the world-famous academy, Simon Adingra joined Danish club Nordsjælland, like many before him.

Nordsjælland

The trip to Nordsjælland is a well-traveled path by graduates of the Right to Dream Academy in Ghana. So Adingra’s move to the Danish club in January 2020 was in many ways natural.

In less than a year, he made his professional debut when he featured in a 2–2 league draw with Copenhagen on 18 April 2021. He replaced Ivan Mesík in the 68th minute of the game and went on to score his team’s second goal.

That was the first of many as the Ivorian locked down a place in the team with consecutive, brilliant performances.

Adingra’s progress was hard to miss and in no time, the world’s top clubs came calling.

On 24 June 2022, Adingra joined Premier League club Brighton & Hove Albion after signing a four-year contract. Ten days later, he was loaned to Brighton’s Belgian sister club Union SG for the 2022–23 season.

Adingra made his Brighton debut as a substitute in the opening game of the 2023–24 season on 12 August. He opened his account in the same match when he scored the Seagulls’ third goal in a 4–1 home win over newly promoted Luton Town.

AFCON Debut

Simon Adingra made his AFCON debut as an 83rd-minute substitute in Côte d’Ivoire’s 4-0 loss to Equatorial Guinea in their final Group B match.

By the end of the tournament, Adingra had established himself as one of the best performers.

He finished the tournament with a goal – a 90th-minute equalizer against Mali, to his name and two assists.

Relationship status

Like many footballers, Adingra’s early successes and fame in the sport have made him a target for the ladies.

However, Simon Adingra has no known girlfriend at this time.