“ABOUUUUUUUUUUUUU”

During the end of the twentieth century cries of ‘Abouuuuuuu’ was regularly heard at Upton Park. The West Ham fans would sing the name of striker Samassi Abou an Ivorian born former France Under 21 international. During his short stay with the club he became a cult figure at Upton Park with his goals and his afro hairstyle. Abou will always remain in the memories of many West Ham fans that followed the club during the late 1990s. Since he left West Ham his whereabouts have been vague. So where is the striker now?

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When Harry Redknapp was in charge of West Ham he had a reputation of signing players that were unfamiliar to many football fans. One of the famous Harry signings was Abou who was bought from AS Cannes for £250,000 and he instantly became a fan favourite at Upton Park. Abou initially thought he was being booed by the Upton Park faithful but soon realised that the fans were actually chanting his name. He shined in the Cola-Cola Cup Quarter Final against Arsenal in 1998, where he scored a goal and missed a penalty as West Ham crashed out on penalties.

 

Abou’s finest performance in a claret and blue shirt came against Barnsley as West Ham won 6-0 and he grabbed a brace. He went on to score further three goals for the Hammers before he was loaned out to clubs in the lower divisions. In total he made 31 appearances for the Hammers and he found the net on 6 occasions. During his short time with the club he became something of a cult figure and never received the love anywhere else like he did from the West Ham fans.

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After a few loan spells in England and Scotland he went back to France to play for AC Ajaccio and Lorient. At the age of 30 he decided to retire from football and his whereabouts since 2003 have been unknown. There have been many fatuous stories

spreading across the internet, one being that he later became a bus driver in Basildon after his retirement. What is for certain is that whatever he is doing now he will always be in the memories of many West Ham fans. The fans can now personally

engage with Abou on Twitter @Samassi_Abou.

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