Demba Ba: Consistently underappreciated and ahead of his time
Did you know that during his time in the Premier League, Demba Ba averaged 0.56 goals for every 90 minutes of football he played? Amassing a total of 43 goals in this period. This goals per 90 ratio is higher than the likes of Diego Costa, Cristiano Ronaldo, Jimmy Floyd Hasselbaink, Jamie Vardy, Any Cole, Les Ferdinand and so many other legendary premier league strikers.
Yep, this is the syrup-loving Demba Ba who played up top for West Ham, Newcastle and Chelsea. The Senegalese striker who formed the infamous ‘Barclaysman’ striker partnership with Papiss Cisse, which for about half a season, I genuinely think was up there for one of the best striker partnerships in Europe.
You stick a fully-fit Demba Ba in the premier league right now and he will instantly look like a top 5-8 striker in the league. He’s right there with your Mateta’s or your Chris Wood’s as those fantastic strikers who perhaps weren’t given the respect they deserve due to the clubs they were playing for. He could do it all, he could score any type of goal you wanted - whether it be a screamer from 25 yards out or a nicely tucked away first-time finish from a cross.
Always a handful for defenders, Demba Ba had the perfect blend of physical strength and brilliant technique that meant he scored goals wherever he went. At West Ham he bagged 7 in 13 before moving to Newcastle where he was probably at his best and he hit 29 goals in 54 prem games. This led to him getting a well-deserved move to title challengers Chelsea where the forward hit 14 in 51, including one of the most famous goals in Premier League history against Liverpool.
On surface level, these stats might not seem that impressive but you have to remember that a lot of these games were cameos off the bench - particularly for Chelsea. The fact is when Demba Ba was on the pitch consistently, he would get you goals and there wasn’t much anyone could do about it. For a period of time, he really was just that guy.
The biggest compliment you can give to a player is IF they are loved by the fans of every club they played for and this is most certainly the case for Demba Ba. Ask any Chelsea, Newcastle, West Ham or Turkish team what they thought about the striker and they would all wax lyrical about him. A consistent player who always did his job and put in 100% effort every time he stepped onto the pitch - Ba was the ultimate utility striker.
Any manager would want a striker like Ba in their squad, even if he isn’t starting every game. It’s a shame he isn’t spoken about more because he truly was quality and his goal record proved that. 0.56 goals per 90 in the ‘hardest league in the world’ is definitely nothing to be sniffed at and whilst English fans often reminisce about all the great number 9s we’ve had in the past, Demba Ba is often forgotten.
I’m not saying he’s one of the best strikers to ever grace our league but now and then, Demba Ba should be spoken about. The streets shouldn’t forget anytime soon because he had it all.
Whilst Ba’s stint in the Premier League was relatively brief, not even amassing 100 career appearances in the English top flight, he has definitely created a lasting legacy for himself and I feel that if he was playing today, many more fans would be more appreciative of him.
A true Barclaysman striker.
