Ghana defender Harrison Afful has thanked coach Kwesi Appiah for playing a key role in his development by having him play at his first World Cup in Brazil.

The Esperance defender excelled on his debut at the FIFA World Cup where he emerged as one of the best performers of the Black Stars.

The FIFA Technical Study Group named Afful as one of the three leading performers of the Ghana team alongside Andre Ayew and Asamoah Gyan.

The 28-year-old fees he is a better player with his recognition by FIFA but says he owes it all to coach Kwesi Appiah.

“It [recognition by FIFA] makes me a good player and I feel very great and the most important thing is to give thanks to the coach for giving me the opportunity to show myself at the World Cup,” he said.

Afful has evolved from being one of the fringe players for the Black Stars to become a regular for the side.

He is expected to play a starting role when Ghana hosts Uganda in their opening 2015 Africa Cup of Nations qualifier on Saturday.