Ake Loba: Queretaro’s new striker from Ivory Coast

This Sunday, December 23, 2018, Queretaro announced the signing of 20-year-old Ivorian striker Ake Arnaud Loba from Peruvian club Universidad de San Martin. The African forward was a peculiar signing for Los Gallos Blancos to say the least, but he definitely has the potential to succeed in Mexico.

Ake Loba had a breakout season in Peru as he scored 18 goals with five assists in 32 games with Universidad de San Martin in the Peruvian first division. Loba is very young, stands in at 5-foot-11 with a decent physical presence and can also play on the wings due to his speed.

The African forward previously played in his native Ivory Coast in the first division with SOA before playing in Peru and despite his age has already represented his country at the international level. While there are not a plethora of African-born players in Mexican football, there have been a few over the years and there have been more recently.

Ghanian midfielder Clifford Aboagye of Atlas, Cameroonian forward Patrick Soko of Atlante and Nigerian forward Emanuel Sunday of Xolos are just some to speak of. Aboagye has been a relatively consistent starter at Atlas, but Loba has the potential to make a great impact at Queretaro.

Camilo Sanvezzo had been Queretaro’s star forward over the past few years, but it seems that he is on his way out, ironically to the African continent in Egypt. Sanvezzo scored eight goals this past season and Los Gallos Blancos will now need a player to step up in the attack.