Goalkeeper Lawrence Ati-Zigi nearly became outfield player – David Atanga

Lawrence Ati-ZigiGhanaian winger David Atanga has revealed that goalkeeper Lawrence Ati-Zigi was almost converted into an outfield player at Red Bull Salzburg due to his impressive ball-playing abilities.Atanga and Ati-Zigi were teammates at the Austrian club, where Ati-Zigi’s skills on the ball caught significant attention.Speaking to Accra-based Mothers FM, Atanga praised the Black Stars shot-stopper amid criticism from some Ghanaians. “Ati-Zigi has received a lot of criticism from some football fanatics. He has been labelled as a subpar goalkeeper by many. Truth be told, Ati-Zigi is not a bad goalkeeper. He is not an exception; even the greatest goalkeepers in the world, including Manuel Neuer, have bad days and make mistakes from time to time,” Atanga said.He urged sceptics to watch Ati-Zigi’s performances at his club before passing judgment. “I will urge anyone who thinks he is not a good goalkeeper to monitor him at his club, and after watching him, you can decide whether he is good or bad. We shouldnt only base on statistics to judge him,” Atanga emphasised.Atanga recounted their time at Salzburg, noting, “We played together at Salzburg, and he was nearly turned into an outfield player. Ati-Zigi is a very good goalkeeper, just that there is much pressure when playing for Ghana. In our last two games against Mali and Central Africa Republic, our defenders underperformed, and the goalkeeper was blamed.”Ati-Zigi has been Ghanas first choice since the 2022 World Cup in Qatar, briefly losing his spot to Richard Ofori during the 2023 Africa Cup of Nations in Ivory Coast, but he has since reclaimed his position.