Latif Blessing

Latif Blessing
Personal information
Full name Latif Atta Blessing
Date of birth (1996-12-30) 30 December 1996
Place of birth Accra, Ghana
Height 5 ft 5 in (1.65 m)
Playing position Winger, Forward
Club information
Current team
 Los Angeles FC
Number 7
Youth career
2013–2014 Liberty Professionals
Senior career*
Years Team Apps (Gls)
2014–2016 Liberty Professionals 21 (17)
2017 Sporting Kansas City 25 (3)
2018– Los Angeles FC 28 (5)
* Senior club appearances and goals counted for the domestic league only and correct as of 2 September 2018

Latif Atta Blessing (born 30 December 1996) is a Ghanaian professional footballer who plays as a forward for Los Angeles FC in Major League Soccer.

Career

Blessing was born in Nankese, a small village in the Suhum-Kraboa-Coaltar District in southeast Ghana, and in 2013 joined the Liberty Professionals youth team in Accra.[1] He soon was promoted to the senior side for the Ghana Premier League but mainly appeared on the bench for the side.[1] Blessing received good reviews for his performance during a Premier League match against Asante Kotoko on 21 June 2015. During the match, he scored in the 21st minute to equalize for Liberty Professionals before he provided two assists that lead his side to a 3–1 victory.[2]

During the 2016 season, Blessing scored six goals in his first eight games.[1] He would go on to finish the season as the top scorer in the league with 17 goals, after his hat-trick on the final day of the season against Bechem United.[3] His performance during the season was recognized in December 2016 when Blessing won the best player of the league award by the Ghana Football Association.[4]

Sporting Kansas City

In January 2017, Blessing signed with Sporting Kansas City of Major League Soccer in the United States.[5]

Blessing's first MLS goals came in a brace on 13 May 2017 in a 2-2 draw in Orlando versus Orlando City.

Los Angeles FC

In December 2017, Blessing was selected by Los Angeles FC with the second selection of the 2017 MLS Expansion Draft. He made his debut for the club as a starter in their first MLS match, a 1–0 victory at Seattle Sounders.

International

Blessing was included in the provisional squad for Ghana before the 2017 Africa Cup of Nations but failed to make the final cut.[6]

Personal

Blessing holds a U.S. green card which qualifies him as a domestic player for MLS roster purposes.[7]

Blessing's brother, Ibrahim Fuseini, currently plays for Lori FC in the Armenian Premier League.[8]

Career statistics

As of 19 July 2018[9]
Club Season League Domestic Cup League Cup Continental Total
DivisionAppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoals
Liberty Professionals 2016 GPL2117——————2117
Sporting Kansas City 2017 MLS2535310——316
Los Angeles FC 2018 MLS2854200——307
Career total 62259510008230

Honors

Sporting Kansas City

References

  1. 1 2 3 "A Shamo Quaye of our time". Pulse. 21 April 2016. Retrieved 10 January 2017.
  2. ↑ "Liberty fight back to defeat Kotoko in Dansoman". Modern Ghana. 21 June 2015. Retrieved 10 January 2017.
  3. ↑ "Latif Blessing wins Ghana Premier League goal king". GhanaWeb. 19 September 2016. Retrieved 10 January 2017.
  4. ↑ Abayateye, Michael (18 December 2016). "Latif Blessing wins Best Player of the Year at GFA/PLB Awards". PrimeNewsGhana. Retrieved 10 January 2017.
  5. ↑ Kovzan, Sam (9 January 2017). "Sporting KC acquires 20-year-old winger Latif Blessing in transfer from Ghana". Sporting Kansas City. Retrieved 10 January 2017.
  6. ↑ "Ghana Premier League best player Latif Blessing dropped from Africa Cup of Nations squad". Ghana Soccer Net. 2 January 2017. Retrieved 10 January 2017.
  7. ↑ "Forward Latif Blessing obtains green card, no longer occupies international spot on Sporting KC roster". SportingKC.com. 28 November 2017. Retrieved 1 January 2018.
  8. ↑ "Ghanaian youngster Ibrahim Fuseini joins Armenian side Lori FC". kickgh.com. Kick GH. 28 January 2018. Retrieved 4 September 2018.
  9. ↑ Latif Blessing at Soccerway


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