• Stephen Appiah has urged up-and-coming footballers to focus on harnessing their skills and not focus on money entirely

• He was the first Black Stars captain to play in the FIFA World Cup and made 67 appearances for the Black Stars

• The former Phobian believes in hard work first

Former Black Stars captain, Stephen Appiah, has advised young footballers not to put priority on money in the early stages of their careers.

Stephen Appiah has been one of the most successful footballers of all time after featuring for some of Europe's top clubs in a career that spanned more than two decades.

The former Accra Hearts of Oak midfielder played for Udinese, Parma, Fenerbahce, and two-times UEFA Champions League winners Juventus.

Reflecting on his successful career in an interview with Kumasi-based Pure FM, Stephen Appiah attributed his success to hard work and dedication.

“I think most of the youth think that we just made it but some of us are coming all the way from Chorkor and being where we are today, I mean we have worked hard and some of us have really worked hard to get to where we are today."

“And it’s so sad when you meet the youth today, when you are talking to them, they think about money before the work. But our time we were lucky there was no social media, it was very very hard."

“Today it’s very difficult when you meet the youth and you want to interact with them,” Stephen Appiah told Pure FM in Kumasi.