Ciro Barusso: Manfredonia legend at 22

Now with Serie B Rimini, Barusso has firmly etched his name in Manfredonia's history after helping the once amateur club win triple promotion from the lower reaches of Serie D to Serie C1 last season. But his legacy doesn't end there, with the Ghana international destined to make Manfredonia a small fortune courtesy of a mooted sell-on clause negotiated in his move last summer.

And Manfredonia management may not be waiting long for the Barusso windfall. AC Milan, Inter and Arsenal are all seeking talks with Rimini - despite the 22 year-old being out of action since October with a broken leg.

Barusso's first weeks in Serie B were stunning and quickly had Rimini coach Leonardo Acori predicting: "He's an outstanding talent, destined for Serie A."

Indeed, with Milan posting scouts at Rimini games to trail on-loan pair Digao and Alessandro Mati, the reports would come back dominated by Barusso's performances in those first months of the season.

Soon Milan were discussing first refusal with Rimini for the midfielder, who is being lined up by the Rossoneri as a natural understudy for Rino Gattuso. However, despite their close relationship, a move to Milan is not guaranteed, with bigger spending Premiership clubs also aware of Barusso's rapid progress.

All the while, Manfredonia are waiting in the wings - and expect at least a cool £1 million from any sale of their former star.

The gamble is paying off for Manfredonia president Angelo Riccardi, who risked a supporter backlash last summer when he decided to cash in on the Ghanaian favourite.

"The sale of Barusso," Riccardi admitted, "has made us all suffer, considering the affection that we all had for 'Ciro'. No-one will forget his arrival in Manfredonia: a boy with exceptional physique, but in the beginning timid, almost frightened.

"But everyone who saw him in those first few training sessions recognised his quality. He had great technical ability to go with his physique and in time he gave us all reason to believe that our dreams for Manfredonia could be realised."

Riccardi came in for stiff criticism from fans for letting Barusso go - and accepted their anger: "It's understandable. The response is only because they have believed blindly in Barusso. For the past two years they have followed him every Sunday, watched him grow. Of course they are going to be upset without Barusso playing for them."

It was Black Stars legend Abedi Pele who first alerted Manfredonia to Barusso over three years ago. Spotted by Pele while with FC Nania of Accra's youth team, Barusso was recommended to Franco Janich, who had close ties to Manfredonia while they were still an amateur club in Italy.

Barusso arrived at Manfredonia as a centre-half and wasn't moved into his more natural position of central midfield until promotion had been won to Serie C2.

"From when I was playing in Ghana, to also playing with the U18 national team, I have always been regarded as a central defender," said Barusso. "But when I arrived at Manfredonia, I had to adapt. The coach would play me in several positions, including on the wing. It was a learning experience, but soon it became apparent I could do my best work in central midfield."

It was in the Manfredonia engineroom that Barusso was quickly drawing comparisons with some of Ghana's modern day greats - including Michael Essien and Sulley Muntari. It's understood one Milan scout has likened him to former Rossoneri defender Marcel Desailly, with Barusso's power and ability to lift teammates similar to the French World Cup winner.

Riccardi knew what he was doing when he agreed to sell to Rimini. "You will see," explained the Manfredonia supremo, "in Serie B he will continue to improve - and his value will go up."

As they enjoy their Serie C1 campaign, Manfredonia's current team share equal top billing in the local press with news of Barusso's progress at Rimini. The potential cash raised from his sale is critical for Manfredonia's fans, but there remains also a genuine affection for the big Ghanaian, who risked it all to drive their club from amateur status to competing with the likes of Perugia this season.

On the pitch, Barusso contributed to a stunning run of three consecutive promotions for Manfredonia. Off it, improvements to the stadium and club facilities will all be paid for when he inevitably earns that big-money move. The legacy of a young lad from Accra is sure to be felt by Manfredonia for generations to come.