Former Black Stars captain, Stephen Appiah, has shared a touching story about how the late coach Sam Arday prophesied that he would become one of the best players in Ghana.

Speaking on JoySports, Appiah recalled that during the U-17 World Cup in Ecuador in 1995, where Arday was the coach of the Black Starlets, the coach recognized something special in him.

Although Appiah played only one game in Arday's team, the coach was able to see his potential for a successful football career.

“In Ecuador [during the U-17 World Cup], I had the chance to play one game. I’m not going to say only [one game] because I have to be true to myself that the players who were there were better, they had the experience," Appiah stated.

“So when we played our first and second games, we won the two games so by the third game we had qualified already so I was given the opportunity to play the last game. I played so well, Charles Allortey scored the only goal, we beat them 1-0.

“I didn’t get the opportunity to play again, we won the trophy we came back, and when we came back, we took the trophy on a tour. When we got to the Accra sports stadium, there were a lot of fans to welcome us.
Appiah stated, “When Sam Arday was giving his speech, he said that he was thanking the fans and the players and everybody who supported them to win, but one thing [he added was that] there’s a young player in our team who didn’t get the chance to play but one day he will be one of the best in this country and it happened,” he stated.

Appiah further praised the late coach saying, “He [Arday] knew the quality I had. Sam Arday was a great man. He was one of those coaches who could look at a player and predict that he will be good in the future and most of the time, it happens.”

Stephen Appiah led the Black Stars to their first-ever World Cup appearance in 2006. He also captained the team in the 2010 World Cup, where Ghana reached the quarterfinals, marking a historic achievement as the tournament was hosted in Africa for the first time.

JNA/KPE