The emergence of exciting young players is not a new phenomenon in Ghana.
Over the years, many youngsters have burst onto the stage amid shouts of, "he's the next legend!"
Sadly, many of them have flattered to deceive while others have sunk without trace.
But in Christian Atsu the Black Stars have a player of undoubted ability, an excellent prospect, whose movement with the ball at his feet is exceptional.
If the 19-year-old goes on to become a football great, many will remember 8 September 2012 as the day he officially announced his arrival.
That is the day Atsu - who plays for FC Porto in Portugal - made only his third appearance for Ghana against Malawi in an Africa Cup of Nations qualifier in Accra.
Although he impressed in two previous matches against Lesotho and China, it was against the Flames that Atsu made people sit up and take more notice of him.
His first touch was a thing of beauty - gliding past opposition defenders with remarkable ease - and his overall use of the ball was so mature for someone so young. At some point we thought we were watching a reincarnation of the legendary Abedi Pele, especially when Atsu had the ball glued to his left foot while running at and scaring Malawian defenders.
Flare, movement and technical skill all intertwined into a Ghanaian football machine?
Naturally, many Black Stars fans, thrilled by his goal against Malawi, went on social media to hail the arrival of the 'Ghanaian Messi'.
Not that being compared with the Barcelona magician unsettles Atsu.
"Messi is my idol. There's no Ghanaian Messi, there is no other Messi in this world," he told BBC Sport.
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