Adane Girma's golden season

The Season That Announced Him

Adane Girma began as a full-back before being converted into a striker at Saint-George SA, a switch that changed the course of his career. The move paid off almost immediately. In the 2009–10 Ethiopian Premier League season, he emerged as one of the division's leading scorers, establishing himself as one of the country's most dangerous forwards.

He went one better the following year. In the 2010–11 Ethiopian Premier League, Adane finished level with Getaneh Kebede of Dedebit FC on 20 goals apiece, sharing the golden boot for that campaign. It was the season that defined him: alongside the scoring title, he was named the league's best player, a rare individual honour that placed him at the top of Ethiopian domestic football.

A Place on the National Stage

That club form translated into international recognition. Adane became a key figure for the Ethiopia national team during qualification for the 2013 Africa Cup of Nations. In a cautious opening approach against defending champions Zambia, he was deployed in a central midfield role rather than his usual attacking position, and he helped Ethiopia hold their own for long stretches while playing a man down for over 70 minutes.

He carried that form into the tournament itself. Named in Ethiopia's squad for the 2013 Africa Cup of Nations, Adane scored the equaliser in the team's opening match against Zambia in Nelspruit, South Africa, a goal that stands as one of the most memorable moments of his international career, coming after he converted a low corner finish set up by fellow striker Saladin Said.

What Happened Next

Adane never replicated that peak scoring form again. He remained with Saint George S.C. for years afterward, continuing his career there rather than moving to a bigger stage abroad. He retired from the Ethiopia national team in 2015, closing out an international career that spanned a decade, from 2004 to 2014, and yielded 9 goals in 45 appearances.

His club career wound down quietly rather than dramatically. In 2018, after a long spell as a Saint George player, he was let go by the club. Rather than stepping away from the game, Adane returned to where his transformation into a striker had begun, agreeing to a contract with his former club, Hawassa Kenema FC.

A Career Worth Remembering

There is no single dramatic reason recorded for why Adane didn't sustain those 2010–11 heights across his career, no injury saga, no fallout, just the natural arc of a long domestic career that had one unmistakable high point. For one season, he was the best forward in Ethiopian football, and he backed it up with an Africa Cup of Nations goal on the continental stage. That should be enough to remember him for.