It was a night of absolute bliss, glamour and class at the Calcio Trade Ball event by the football talent agency group ArthurLegacy when it held the 4^th edition in Accra last Saturday.

An annual event by the leading African football agency company, this year’s event was held at the Kempinski Hotel Gold Coast City, Accra and brought together some of the continent’s biggest names in football, government officials and the diplomatic and corporate communities.

This year’s event underscored the unique partnership between the ArthurLegacy brand and the Italian Embassy in Accra and how both parties have over the years worked to ensure a seamless facilitation of special Ghana-Italy trade ties using football as a tool.

Addressing the gathering, the Italian Ambassador to Ghana, HE. Daniela d’ Orlandi said Italy’s place in Ghanaian football history was one that truly inspired and laid a foundation that kept yielding fruits.

The Italian government she added, found in ArthurLegacy a strategic partner that had over the years executed this flawlessly and looked forward to more of such.

Reechoing her sentiments, a longtime associate of ArthurLegacy, Madam Ama Bawuah called on the corporate community to open its doors to the brand, suggesting the football economy is one every country needed to complement its growth.

Founder of ArthurLegacy, Oliver Arthur also said his organisation would continue to invest in the game to give opportunities to young talents while General Manager of ArthurLegacy, Kathleen Arthur, reiterated the successes of the brand and how it carried with it the dreams of many families.

“Because of what we do and do so well, the lives of these players and their families are shaped in ways unimaginable and for us that is the bigger satisfaction we get.

“In the next 10 years, we want to still help make the dreams and aspirations of these footballers come to pass. We want to be the reason some of these players never gave up in life. Ghana has a large pool of talents and ArthurLegacy is going to be ever present in that ecosystem,” she said.

This year’s Calcio Trade Ball (CTB) saw Black Stars captain Andre Dede Ayew win the topmost award CTB Order of the Star. Andre commended ArthurLegacy and the Italian Embassy for the initiative, calling on others to help provide the avenue for more football talents from Ghana.

Other winners include, Sully Ali Muntari – Lifetime Achievement Award,Franck Yannick Kessié – Serie A African Player of the Year ,Edmund Addo – ArthurLegacy Player of the Year, Felix Afena-Gyan – Most Promising Footballer, Alhaji Grunsah – Special Recognition (Football Development)

Started in 2016, it is held under the auspices of the Embassy of Italy in Ghana and ArthurLegacy. The event celebrates the contribution of Italy to the development of Ghana football and promotes Ghana-Italy cultural relations.

Founded in 2013 by Oliver Arthur, one of Ghana’s leading football agents, ArthurLegacy Sports provides end-to-end training and management of young gifted African football talents.

As of July 2019, the agency has brokered over 50 direct and indirect deals for African football players from diverse backgrounds, ethnicity and culture.

By Spectator Reporter