The Ghana Black Stars I know are patriotic – Dede Ayew
Black Stars captain, Andre Dede Ayew, has stated that the team is a patriotic one and has dispelled the notion that it is otherwise.
He said this in his speech delivered as a guest lecturer on sports psychology at the University of Ghana where his career served as the subject matter.
Despite several reports of low levels of commitment from members of the team, the skipper believes the team is patriotic.
“The Ghana Black Stars I know, I can guarantee every Ghanaian every time that the team is patriotic. The team wants to win. We are in a phase where we have different people which we cannot change so we cannot compare the players you spoke about (players of old) earlier and these ones; you can’t do it the other way round.”
“I think, coming up, psychologically, everybody needs to understand what Ghana football means to the people of the country.”
Ayew completed the 2023-24 season with Le Havre in the French Ligue 1 where he scored six goals in 20 games in all competitions.
Ayew also discussed the high level of scrutiny as an elite athlete for the past decade.
“It’s not easy to deal with certain remarks and insults but most importantly, we try to understand the reason why it’s coming that way or that sense… all depends on where it is coming from. You have to try and analyse yourself. Sometimes it’s unfair, sometimes it doesn’t make sense and sometimes they have a point.”
“Sometimes as a personality, you have to swallow things that you know are not true…but that’s where your mental toughness comes and you need to be able to endure pain to smile later. That’s my virtue.”
He stated that the Black Stars means a lot to him and his family.
“The national team is so important to me and my family because today a lot of big men in Ghana have come through the huge university here; our life isn’t through university and through school, it is about the game and it started from this country not from anywhere.” —Citinewsroom