Born in Stockholm to a Gambian father and a Swedish mother, Jesper Ismaila Ceesay this week earned his first senior call-up for The Gambia after being included in Tom Sainfiet’s 23-man squad for a training camp and international friendly matches in Turkey which gets underway on Monday.
Ceesay, 19, is a midfielder and plays for AIK Stockholm in the Swedish Allsvenskan (premier league) but was a product of the Hasselby and Brommapojkarna youth systems. He started his professional career at 18 when he joined Brommapojkarna in the third tier in 2020. Juggling between college and professional football in the 2021 season, his second for the club, he nailed down a first team spot and helped Bromma won the league and was named the talent of the season. Then in December, he signed a four-year contract to join AIK in a deal that stretches until the end of December 2025.
Jesper comes from a footballing family as his father was an ex-footballer and his brother Joseph is also a professional footballer who plays for Malmo also in the Allsvenskan. At 24, Joseph also plays as a midfielder and was capped three times by the Swedish U-19 team.
Jesper came to the attention of most Gambian spectators when he played twice in the U-23’s 2024 Olympics qualifiers against Burkina Faso in September. In making his debut for the youth side, he told the GFF Media at the time that his decision to choose Gambia ahead of Sweden is as a result of his love for the country and to protect his father’s legacy.
He is known for his ability to make football look so simple. With a deft touch and the ability to make devastating long-range passes, Jesper is indeed a joy to watch. His style of play has already been likened to that of Seyfo Soley in many quarters and his graduation to the senior category of our national team can only serve as a welcome boost for this exceptionally young talented team that Saintfiet has been putting together.
GFF media
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