The 2008/09 Debutant Goalscorers

By Brian Lofrumento | 25th August 2008

The 2008/09 Debutant Goalscorers | read this item

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The season is young, but this year has already seen more than five players score on their debuts for their new clubs. Fans of Sunderland, Wigan, Arsenal, Chelsea, and Hull all know who these men are. For those of you that do not, read on about five of these debutant goalscorers.

Deco 1. Deco. The Brazilian turned Portuguese came to the Premier League at the request of new Chelsea manager Felipe Scolari, and many were doubting whether or not the former Barcelona man still had it in him. Deco got his debut in Chelsea’s first game of the season against Portsmouth, and right away it was clear that he was pulling all the strings from midfield. With minutes left in the match and Chelsea running away with a 3-0 victory, Deco got the ball about 30 yards from goal. After one quick glance at the goal, Deco unleashed a Frank Lampard-like shot that soared into the back of the net. His Chelsea teammates were all quick to congratulate him, and Deco marked his Premier League entrance with a superb goal. He followed it up with a match winning freekick against Wigan this past weekend.

2. Geovanni. If you asked most fans around the Premier League about Hull’s strike force, chances are they won’t have much to say. One name that does jump out, though, is Geovanni. Geovanni played for Manchester City last season and had large expectations placed on him. When Hull signed him, a few eyebrows were raised; not many people expected Hull to start acquiring Premier League talent (he was soon followed into the club by George Boateng, another good signing). In his first game for Hull, Geovanni grabbed Hull’s first ever goal in the top flight as he levelled the game at 1-1. Hull ended up going on and beating Fulham 2-1 for a massive three points.

3. Samir Nasri. The very first match of the 2008/09 Premier League season saw a debut winner. Samir Nasri, who many people have dubbed the next Zinedine Zidane, marked his Arsenal debut with a goal in just the 4th minute. Arsenal went on to hang onto this one goal lead and Nasri was officially the match winner. Besides the goal, Nasri had a decent game as he was Arsenal’s best midfielder on the pitch. In the absence of Cesc Fabregas, Arsenal fans are counting their luck that they at least have Nasri at their disposal.

4. Amr Zaki. Wigan have never been known for having an outstanding strike force. While they boast the likes of Emile Heskey, it’s never easy for the Latics to score goals. To fix this, manager Steve Bruce quietly signed Egyptian international Amr Zaki over the summer. Without huge expectations on him, Zaki has already wowed fans at the JJB Stadium. A goal on his debut against West Ham wasn’t enough to pick up any points, but the 25 year old gave Wigan fans a reason to be optimistic. In his second match for the club, and his first match at home, Wigan fans wildly applauded Zaki to show their support. He isn’t yet a star for the club, but fans are already happy with his young career.

5. Djibril Cisse. The summer of 2008 has seen some crazy transfers at Sunderland, and Roy Keane’s loan signing of Djibril Cisse certainly fits into this category. Once viewed as one of the world’s hottest prospects, Cisse was a major bust at Liverpool. Two horrific leg breaks later, Cisse finds himself back in the Premier League at the Stadium of Light. His first game for the Black Cats was viewed from the bench, but when Keane gave him the green light to enter the game, Cisse took his chance. With Tottenham drawing Sunderland 1-1, Cisse used his head to grab the game winning goal for Sunderland. These crucial three points gave Sunderland a huge lift, and further rooted Tottenham into chaos. Welcome back to the Prem, Djibril.

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