Hearts of Oak forward Joseph Esso has named Stephen Appiah as his idol and hopes to emulates the exploits of the former Black Stars captain.
Esso has been one of the key players for the Phobians since joining as a free agent from Ebusua Dwarfs at the start of the 2017/18 Ghana Premier League season.
The 21-year-old scored 3 goals and registered 2 assists in 13 appearances for the Ghanaian giants before the league was halted following the Number 12 expose by investigative journalist, Anas Aremeyaw Anas - which revealed rot in Ghana football.
The hard-working marksman has set his sights on reaching the standards of former Juventus and Fenerbahce ace Stephen Appiah, whom he labeled as his football idol.
“Stephen Appiah is my idol. Although my style of play is not reminiscence of his but I really adore him. He is a fresh breath of fresh air, a dynamic figure who makes an immediate impact with his spiky personality. I'm not surprised that he excelled as the captain of the Black Stars.” he told Ahoto FM, Kumasi.
“He went through strings of frustrating injuries and difficult times in his career but as soon he makes a return to the pitch, he reminds everyone of his quality. I think he was one of the best in his generation.” he quipped
Ironically, Appiah also wore the jersey of Esso's current club in the mid-90s.