Return to Europe possible
©IMAGO
In May 2016, Melvyn Lorenzen, originally from London, played 45 minutes for the Ugandan national team against Zimbabwe. Almost ten years later, the former Werder Bremen professional, who now plays for Muangthong United in Thailand, has celebrated his return and is included in the squad for the African Cup. All because he proactively applied to the association in October with a video via WhatsApp. Now the 31-year-old has given an insight into his strange comeback.
« I wrote to them that I was playing in Thailand and sent them my highlight video. I also said that I would be available for whatever happened, » Lorenzen told Kicker of his approach in the fall. Shortly after, he received an invitation from the association and was allowed to play on the attacking left wing against Morocco and Chad in November, where he even scored his first goal in the Uganda jersey. The son of a Ugandan father and German mother made such a positive impression on Belgian coach Paul Put that he called up Lorenzen to the squad for the Africa Cup of Nations which began this weekend. The striker could start as early as Tuesday evening against Tunisia.
The professional, once trained in the youth ranks of Holstein Kiel and Werder Bremen, now has nine positions in his career. In the 2013/14 season he made his debut with the Green and Whites in the Bundesliga, followed by twelve more appearances and a goal in the first division for Lorenzen in 2016, who mostly continued to play for Werder’s second representative during these years. In 2017, he joined the Dutch Eredivisie, then joined clubs in Ukraine, Poland, Ireland and Thailand. The 1.88 meter right (Site notre bureau spécialisé) told the magazine that he would last be in Germany in 2023 during his stay in Worms. A return to Europe remains a challenge for him.
The striker could recommend himself for the African Cup, for which he and his team have clear ambitions: « Progressing in the group is definitely the aim. The boys did very well in qualifying for the World Cup and had good results against big nations. We are the underdogs in the group with Nigeria, Tunisia and Tanzania, but the best third-placed teams are also progressing so anything is possible. »