Derrick Kakooza – The Ugandan Prodigy by Ndiwalana Jossen
Derrick Kakooza
Date of birth: 23rd October 2002
Country: Uganda
Position: centre-forward
Current club: Police FC
Chased by many European teams, Ugandan talent Derrick Kakoza is a promising young player who impressed many people during the 2021 Africa U-20 Cup of Nations.
Growing up in the suburbs of Naguru, the youngster joined Naguru Police academy as a young child. At the age of 16 he moved to Police FC where he made his first team breakthrough very quickly. He played 6 games and scored 4 goals during the 2019/20 season of the Ugandan Premier League.
After having a good season, he thought he was going to be called up for the CECAFA U-20 Championship – competition that served as the AFCON U-20 qualifiers, but it didn’t happen. That didn’t stop him from working hard and achieve his goal a few months later. Uganda won the competition and qualified for the big tournament.
In the end, Kakooza made the final squad for the AFCON. When he was named in the starting XI for the tournament opener against Mozambique many people criticized the coach but Derrick proved them wrong by scoring the first goal and assisting the second one.
In the second game, he came on as a substitute in the 80th minute and scored a goal after just 9 minutes on the pitch. He impressed the most in the semi-final against Tunisia where he scored a hattrick and helped the team reach the final. He ended the tournament with 5 goals and 1 assist in 6 games, silver medal and a top scorer award.
STYLE OF PLAY
- killer instinct
- very skillful at beating his markers and evading pressure
- electric pace and good finishing skills
- tall and strong player dangerous in the air
STATS
- 2019/20: 6 matches, 4 goals and 1 assist in the Ugandan Premier League
- 2020/21: 12 matches and 4 goals in the Ugandan Premier League
- AFCON U-20: 6 games, 5 goals and 1 assist