Stephen Appiah: An Embodiment Of Leadership And Loyalty

Published on: 08 September 2010

By Maurice Quansah, Graphic Sports

For 14 years he warmed himself into our hearts with command performances, passion and devoted service to Ghana football during which he scored 16 important goals in 66 international appearances for the Black Stars.

However, last month Stephen Appiah stunned Ghanaians by calling time on his international career in order to concentrate on his club career.

Appiah’s retirement from national team duties brought an end to an illustrious career worth celebrating as an embodiment of loyalty and commitment by an inspirational player who played with passion and wore the national jersey and captain’s armband with pride and a sense of responsibility.

While many hold the view that the midfielder, who turns 30 in four months’ time, took a bow earlier than expected, the red flags over his international future had been flying for many months.

His performance and limited playing time for club and country in recent times suggested he was almost becoming surplus to Coach Milovan Rajevac’s requirements.

At the 2010 FIFA World Cup, Appiah did not hide his frustration at being consigned to the reserves bench and making three appearances as a substitute.

However, he was smart enough to have read between the lines and may have drawn lessons from ‘The Gambler’, the hit song by country music icon, Kenny Rogers, who noted that every gambler must “know when to hold on, know when to fold up, know when to walk away and know when to run”.

After leading Ghana to two successful FIFA World Cup tournaments — a feat his illustrious predecessors failed to achieve — “Tornado”, as he is affectionately called, rightly chose to walk away with his head held up high rather than being pushed away.

Appiah may not be the most gifted player to have worn the coveted No. 10 jersey and the captain’s armband, but he  captivated Ghanaians during his seven-year reign as national team captain as much for his leadership qualities as his sense of philanthropy.

His mass appeal and respect among his peers was best demonstrated during the 2008 Africa Cup of Nations in Accra during which injury ruled him out of the tournament but was handed a non-playing role in the team, to the extent that his team-mates wore his favourite No. 10 in his honour during warm-up ahead of matches.

Appiah gave devoted service to Ghana but human as he was, there was a limit to what he could contribute, and the cruelty of a career-threatening injury and a fitness battle reduced his role and influence on the pitch as he was upstaged by younger players.

His immense talent caught the attention of Ghanaians when he burst on the scene with Accra Hearts of Oak and worked his way into the national teams.

Although he won laurels with the Black Starlets and Black Satellites, it was his dazzling performances for the Stars in a 13-year career that evoke the fondest memories.

He succeeded Charles Akonnor as national captain in 2003 and his inspiring leadership and command performance enabled Ghana to achieve a long-standing dream to finally qualify for the FIFA World Cup in Germany four years ago where he scored the winning goal than earned the Stars a second-round berth.

However a crippling injury in 2007 nearly ruined Appiah’s career and kept him out of the game for nearly two years during which his contract with Turkish side Fenerbahce was terminated.

The national team provided the midfielder competitive games while he hunted for clubs in Europe until he signed for Italian Serie A side Bologna last November, silencing doomsayers who predicted the end of his career.

Early this month Appiah joined newly-promoted Serie A club Casena where he hopes to revive his career in Italy where he spent the best years of his professional career with Udinese, Parma, Brescia and Juventus before moving to Turkey in 2005.

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