D.O.B: 25th May 1985 (now 26)
Birthplace: Sèvres, France (French — Senegalese)
Height: 6ft 2in
Demba Ba
Demba Ba may not the No.9 star striker that Newcastle fans were hoping for in August but the French-born Senegalese international has recently begun to step up to the plate. He may have been struggling with lack of fitness (and the possible effects of Ramadan?) but with 4 goals in 6 games, Ba has helped lift the Toon into 4th position in the Premier League after 7 games. Spirits are high on Tyneside and Ba is looking better game by game. After a fairly quiet debut against Arsenal, the striker looked as if he wanted to break out of the heaviest chainmail around, he squirming at the moment. With his and fellow striker Leon Best’s good form, may we be seeing a strike force that could fire NUFC into a top ten position come the end of the season?
Strengths
Even Arsene Wenger could see Demba’s impressive and consistent goal scoring record. With 7 Goals in 12 games for West Ham last season (having joined in January 2011), topped off by 4 goals in 6 for Newcastle this season (so far, 02/10/2011). Another minor, but impressive strength is his apabtillity to playing with different strikers, after his summer move, he’s recently conjured up a partnership with Leon Best, another NUFC player in form. I think its fair to say that if two strikers who both aren’t seen by many as prolific strikers (even though Demba Ba and Leon Best both have exceptional PRemier League scoring records) can be firing goals in consistently, you have to take your hat off to them. Being honest, at the start of the season I nobody could have seen it going so well. (to prevent a jinx — and long may it continue)
Other factors –
- Power and strength
- Control
- Great Finisher
- Ba has been a fairly prolific goalscorer throughout his whole career so far.
Weaknesses
Standing at 6ft 2in, pace isn’t Demba Ba’s biggest friend, I mean, he can run faster than Shola Ameobi but doesn’t hold the pace I’d love him to have.
Play Facts
- Ba has played a total of ten games for Senegal, scoring three goals.
- Ba has scored an impressive 81 career goals in 163 games.
- He scored his first hat trick for Newcastle United against Blackburn Rovers.