Texting His Way Back: Lorenzen Secures Uganda's AFCON Spot

Background

The former Werder Bremen winger, Melvin Lorenzen, decided to push his case in October to be part of the Africa Cup of Nations currently held in Morocco. He took matters into his own hands to make Uganda notice him.

He sent a WhatsApp message to the Ugandan Football Association, attaching clips and saying he was available for forthcoming qualifiers and ready to contribute.

Lorenzen told German daily Kicker that he wrote to the federation, noted he was playing in Thailand, attached a reel of his best moments, and stressed his openness to any upcoming national team commitments.

Road to AFCON

Not long after that message, he received a formal invitation to join Uganda's squad. He subsequently played two friendlies against Chad and Morocco in November, proving his abilities on the pitch.

Now a Muangthong United professional, he is officially part of Uganda's AFCON squad and carries big ambitions for his country in the tournament.

Asked about his goals, he said the plan is to qualify and advance from the group stage. He noted Uganda’s group includes Nigeria, Tunisia, and Tanzania; while third place can also qualify, so every possibility remains on the table.

Match context aside, the story is a reminder that career hustle can still beat a busy schedule one WhatsApp at a time. And if football does not pan out, there is always a backup plan a very dedicated texting career.

Punchline 1: If Lorenzen keeps texting his way back into squads, the referee will need a data plan to keep up with all those updates.

Punchline 2: In modern football, the game moves faster than your notifications, but his confidence has a higher bandwidth than his boots.