Brandon Thomas-Asante has lavished praise on Ghana international Caleb Yirenkyi, describing the young midfielder as the “modern N’Golo Kanté” and highlighting his quiet confidence and personality.
Thomas-Asante was speaking about Yirenkyi’s role in Ghana’s dramatic 2026 FIFA World Cup victory over Panama, where the youngster scored a late goal to secure a crucial win for the Black Stars.
The forward revealed how emotional the moment was, particularly because of his admiration for Yirenkyi and the significance of the late winner.
“I call him the modern N’Golo Kanté. He’s so quiet and keeps himself to himself. However, he is a really confident character. He is quietly confident.”
Thomas-Asante recalled the dramatic moment when Yirenkyi found the back of the net, admitting he could hardly believe Ghana had scored so late in the match.
“Just because of the love I have for him. When the ball hit the back of the net, he ran off and I was on the other side, and I couldn’t believe we had scored this late in the game,” he said.
The celebrations that followed were equally memorable, with the Ghana players forming two separate huddles as they celebrated the decisive goal.
“There were two groups of huddles celebrating. I remember I was looking at Caleb and I was so pleased for him. That whole feeling resonated with me and I enjoyed that.”
Yirenkyi’s late strike against Panama became one of Ghana’s memorable moments at the 2026 World Cup, while Thomas-Asante’s comments offer a glimpse into the respect and affection the midfielder commands among his teammates.
