Birthday Boys- Aleksandr Golovin and Eddie Nketiah

In Today’s edition of Birthday Boys we explore the career’s of Aleksandr Golovin and Eddie Nketiah.

Aleksandr Golovin

The Russian midfielder turns 24 today and has seen himself feature at a good World Cup and see a good transfer to a French team but, which team and how has his career been so far.

Golovin made his move up to the senior team for CSKA Moscow in the summer 2015 from the B team.

His first full season for the Moscow base team saw him make 23 appearances scoring on three ocassions. The next season saw the midfielder be a regular feature in the side appearing 37 times for the first team scoring three times and assisting four goals.

The 17/18 season was the first time Golovin appeared in 40+ games in a season. Making 43 appearances in all competitions scoring seven goals and assisting six times saw that season be topped off with a fantastic campaign with the Russian national team at the 2018 FIFA World Cup.

In the summer of 2018, Monaco would buy the player from CSKA Moscow for £28 million due to his outstanding performances at the World Cup that summer.

His first full season at Monaco saw the central midfielder saw the player feature 35 times, score four goals and assist four times.

Currently this season before it was put on hold, Golovin featured 30 times in all competitions scoring three goals and grabbing four assists.

Internationally, he has made 33 appearances for Russia scoring five goals and featuring in the 2016 European Championships and the 2018 World Cup with the national team.

He has won two trophies so far as a player which were the European Championships for U17’s in 2013 and he won the Russian league with CSKA Moscow in the 15/16 season.

Eddie Nketiah

The Arsenal forward turns 21 today and has made his Arsenal first team debut and has had a decent start to his fotballing career but, where did it all start for Nketiah.

Nketiah was actually playing for Arsenal’s London rivals Chelsea but, made his way over to the Emirates in the summer of 2015.

In the 17/18 season he would move up to the U23’s and made a few appearances for the first team before getting his professional contract for the senior team.

He would go on to make ten appearances for the first team that season scoring twice that season which was a brace in the Carabao Cup.

The season later he would make nine appearances for the senior team and score one goal but, acheve his ultimate goal which was signing a professional contract for Arsenal in January 2019.

For the first-half of the 19/20 season he went out on loan to Championship side Leeds United and made 19 appearances for the side scoring five goals and one assist. Arsenal recalled the player back as he was slightly underused at Leeds.

He went to play seven games this season for Arsenal grabbing three goals in the process but, the current pandemic has put a stop on the forward making anymore appearances so far. With the Premier League set to return though Nketiah will surely get a chance more regularly in the starting 11.

He currently plays for the England U21’s and has feature in eight games for the Young Lions scoring eight times which averages to a goal per game.