He is on record as having NEVER turned down an invitation to play for the any of the national teams when he is fit. For a country that has always been blessed with many great football captains, Stephen Appiah knew he had several tough acts to follow.

Abedi Pele, Akwasi Appiah, Awuley Quaye Snr,Aggrey Fynn, Emmanuel Quashie just to list a few. Yet today,after his 50th 'official' cap for the Black Stars against Australia, Appiah can say i did it my way. But as he told the Ghana soccer wesite - myghanafootball - recently "as long as i can play quality football and run for 90 minutes,i am not even thinking about retirement"

That is great news for Ghana football but bad news for the rest of Africa (come CAN 2008) and the world. Stephen Appiah is categoric that he owes Ghana every success he has achieved in football so far. "I am what i am today because of what my country has done for me"

Appiah's words are sure to pierce many stubborn hearts who have vowed NEVER to honour the call of duty because of the broken heart they recieved at one time or the other in their international careers. But for Appiah,this is no excuse.

"We all make mistakes and we all grow up so it would be wrong for me to make a stand purely based on a negative experience i had in the past with the national team"

"Tornado" as he was christened by fans in Italy is seen by many Ghanaians as a lucky captain. But he quickly points out that he has had his fair share of bad luck and trials which could have ended his career.

A typical example was in 2000, when a major transfer to Parma was jeopardised by viral hepatitis, but Appiah overcame the illness to move in the summer. The Ghanaian was on the fringe of becoming a regular at the Ennio Tardini stadium, and the club thought it would bosst his development to spend the 2002/03 season on loan at Brescia. The experience i had in Italy made me so strong.....the mentality of Italian football is the best"

Appiah was a first-team regular and from deep positions scored 7 times in 31 games for Brescia to alert Juventus to his talents. The Italian champions paid ?2m to secure his services with an option of a permanent ?6m transfer in 2004. "It is a terrific opportunity for me," Appiah said. "You cannot ask for more than to play for a team like Juve." He went on to enjoy a solid first season at the Delle Alpi, playing 30 Serie A games, also appearing in the Coppa Italia final, won by Lazio over two legs.

It was also at Juve that Appiah made his debut in the UEFA Champions League. Although he lost his place in the team to Manuele Blasi early in the campaign, "Tornado" eventually played 18 Serie A games as Juve won the domestic title for the 28th time. In the summer of 2005 he left for Turkish champions Fenerbah?e SK in an ?8m transfer. TO BE CONTINUED

BRIEF HONOURS/AWARDS

CLUB

• Italian Championship with Juventus Winner 2005 (Trophy revoked due to Calciopoli scandal)
• Coppa Italia Finalist medal 2004
• Turkish League Championship with Fenerbah?e SK Runner-up 2006
• Turkish Cup with Fenerbah?e SK Finalist medal 2006

INTERNATIONAL