Recent history has witnessed Uganda’s midfield leaning heavily on discipline and grit, churning out reliable performers, but seldom producing a player capable of dictating play with relentless dynamism from box to box.
And head coach Paul Put, who is just not easing into the upcoming 2025 Africa Cup of Nations, has ignited a mini-revolution.
At the centre of this tactical shake-up sits a man molded for the modern game, a high-octane engine the Cranes have long craved: Alhassan Baba, the 25-year-old midfield dynamo from FCSB, formerly Steaua Bucuresti, in Romania.
Though Ghanaian-born, Baba’s roots reportedly trace back to Jinja, and his Ugandan eligibility was recently confirmed after his family reached out to FUFA, expressing his passion to wear the Cranes badge. Put didn’t hesitate.
Apparently, after hours of video analysis, the Belgian knew he’d found something special, “an athletic, technically assured, and tactically mature player who can lift Uganda’s tempo and reshape our rhythm.”
For context, Uganda hasn’t had a midfielder of this archetype since the glory days of Tonny Mawejje, Hassan Wasswa, and Noah Babadi Kasule, warriors who combined grit with guile, defensive bite with creative pulse. Baba feels like their spiritual successor, the kind of all-action midfielder who can defend, create, and dominate all in one motion.
The current Cranes engine room, featuring the ever-reliable Kenneth Ssemakula and Khalid Aucho, has offered balance, stability, and leadership, forming the backbone of Uganda’s tactical structure. But as Put looks to expand the team’s attacking range, Baba’s introduction could simply add a new dimension, a different rhythm, an extra layer of dynamism.
A relentless box-to-box force, he’s the kind of player who thrives on high-intensity duels, recovers possession in tight spaces, and turns defense into attack with a single stride. His stamina, ball progression, and forward instinct make him the perfect link between Uganda’s industrious backline and its evolving front line.
In the upcoming friendlies against Chad (Thursday) and Morocco (November 18), Put plans to experiment, and all eyes will be on Baba. One would expect a midfield blend of Ssemakula’s shielding, Allan Okello’s creativity, and Baba’s vertical drive, a trio that could restore balance and spark Uganda’s attacking rhythm.
Should Baba deliver, he won’t just be another debutant, he could be the symbol of a new era, the embodiment of what Ugandan football once was and what it aspires to be again.
From the tenacious days of Mawejje and the artistry of Babadi Kasule, Uganda’s best midfields always had a leader who dictated play and inspired movement. Is Alhassan Baba the man to rekindle that spirit, the new engine, the heartbeat, the bridge between the past and the promise of tomorrow?
