Former Ghana right back, John Paintsil says he never imagined himself playing for the national team, the Black Stars.

The former West Ham and Fulham defender had a great spell with the Black Stars where he made 89 appearances from 2001 to 2013.

According to him, it was like a miracle playing for the Black Stars because he never dreamt of it.

“Honestly speaking l never dreamt of playing for the senior national team," he said.

Paintsil started his playing career at Berekum Arsenal before joining Liberty Professionals, where he got the breakthrough by attracting interest from clubs overseas.

He was a member of the Black Stars team of 2006 when Ghana made their debut appearance at the FIFA World Cup and also represented the West African powerhouse as they reached the quarter-finals of the Mundial in 2010.

Paintsil aside from the Black Stars was a member of the Black Satellites team that placed second in the 2001 World Youth Championship (now FIFA U-20 World Cup), losing to hosts Argentina in the final.