Goalkeeper Sani Mohammed, who played for the two biggest clubs in Ghana, shocked the country seven years ago when he left his playing his career in his prime to become a police officer.
The former Hearts of Oak and Asante Kotoko has not looked back since leaving the game when he was in top form to join the Ghana Police Service.
What made his move even more surprising is that Ghanaian generally think of football as more glamorous than the police service where officers are generally maligned.
But the then top goalkeeper braved this perception and quit playing football to start his life as an officer with the the Ghana Police Service after undergoing the necessary training.
For the first time the highly educated goalkeeper who played for the Accra giants has revealed that the poor welfare of footballers playing in the Ghana Premier League is the key reason why.
He also revealed that the lack of a pension package for footballers in Ghana is another reason why he threw away his gloves for the batons to keep public law and order.
Mohammed says that police officers have got better work conditions that footballers in the country as the clubs are careless about the welfare of players.
“The players welfare has not been a priority for the clubs in Ghana,” Sani Mohammed told Best FM.
“The players are not insured hence some players suffer after their retirement from football.
“Working in the government sector is a different thing all together.
“You will be paid at the end of the month coupled with the insurance package you will enjoy upon your retirement.”
Mohammed hit the limelight with giants Accra Hearts of Oak where he played for three seasons.
He won the Ghana Premier League and the CAF Confederations Cup in 2002 and 2004 respectively before quitting to joins their arch rival Asante Kotoko.
Financial problems while playing for Kotoko forced him to reconsider his future in the game before he successfully trained at the Northern Regional Police Service Training School.
He was commissioned as an officer with the Ghana Police Service in 2013 after passing his examination and has not locked back since then.