The new Yeboah

When Ghana offered Isaac Boakye his first cap, he sent Zimbabwe into mourning by scoring the winning goal to knock the Warriors out of qualification for Mali 2002.

Zimbabweans had barely finished weeping when Boakye put George Weah temporarily into retirement after he scored the winner against Liberia in Monrovia.


Boakye's goal in Monrovia gave the Black Stars a 2-1 win to dent Liberia's hopes of reaching the World Cup this year.


Stones were thrown at Weah and his team-mates after the match and the Liberia star, incensed by the behaviour of the fans, announced his retirement - a decision he rescinded a few days later.


But as one of Africa's brightest stars fades, so another one is discovered.


Coming on as a substitute, the Obuasi Goldfields striker scored twice in the last 60 seconds to put Ghana into the quarter-finals of the Nations Cup by beating Burkina Faso 2-1 in Mopti.

And Black Stars coach Fred Osam-Duodu believes he will soon be a very big name.


"He has a great future if he maintains his discipline on and off the pitch," he said.


"He is very strong when he is on the ball. Better as a second striker. He collects passes and strikes very well."


Boakye emerged when Osam-Duodu was rebuilding the Black Stars from home-based players.


Among his other memorable moments was scoring twice in Angola for Goldfields in last year's Caf Club competition.

Boakye is still yet to get over his heroic moment in Mopti and refuses to down play the occasion.


"Some people say it is luck, but I don't see it that way. Football is played for 90 minutes so it doesn't matter when you score. It's just dramatic and the important thing is we won."


"I am very happy about what I did."


"I would like to be a star in the future. Now I am coming gradually and I hope to be among the best strikers in the world."


Within one minute, Boakye has transformed himself to a hero and he seems determined for it to stay that way.