Real De Banjul prolific forward Ousman Touray, who earned himself a call-up to the newly established Gambia National U-17 team admits he is glad to be invited to the history-making U-17 team, who has since Tuesday began a screening exercise, at the Serrekunda East Mini-stadium.
"I am extremely delighted to be part of the selected players for the Gambia National under-17 team, which has been my biggest dream for a long time," Touray who received the golden boot award in last year's zonal championship was quoted as saying by Pointsport. This is shortly after wrapping-up an intensive screening exercise along with his colleagues from the U-17 team, at the Serrekunda East Mini-stadium on Thursday.
"I received my invitation from the Gambia Football Association last Friday, and I was quite happy with the development along with my parents, who have been giving me all the encouragement and the motivation to continue doing the good job," Rooney as he is widely known told Pointsport in an interview with this reporter.
Touray, who switched to Real De Banjul from Young Africans last season was a key figure with the Real De Banjul youth team, where his outstanding performance saw them secured a regular first team place with the Real senior side, who are struggling to maintain their place in the country’s top flight football following disappointing start to the campaign.
Rooney, who is arguably one of the finest young strikers in the country in recent times, started his playing career with the Jamesen FC, a Nawettan team in Banjul before moving to Ball Conge FC.
Touray has had his most outstanding performance with the Serrekunda East outfit Ball Conge, as his wonderful performance helped the club claim its first-ever league title in his first full season with the club described by many as one of the most outstanding Nawettan sides in Serrekunda East over the years.
Touray's spectacular performance with Ball Conge saw him won the heart of the fans and in the process managed to hold down a regular first team place with the Serrekunda East Zonal team that emerged the champions of last year’s Baby Muhammed Jammeh’s Perpetual Cup Competition, at the expense of the then reigning champions Bakau, despite the controversy surrounding the final.
Touray, who has set his eyes on securing a place in the current Under 17 team was both the head and the heart of an impressive Serrekunda East team that played the finest attacking football of the tournament.
Shortly afterwards, he became the golden boot winner after scoring a total of three (3) goals, including the much-anticipated strike in his sides controversial 1-nil victory over Bakau at the Serrekunda West Mini-stadium recently.