Nobody would have predicted it. After a decade-plus with big stars, Ghana never scored a big win.
Winning an under-20 World Cup at the junior level in football might be a curse of some sort. Lionel Messi’s Argentina can attest to it and, just recently, so can “The Black Stars of Ghana.”
Like Argentina, after winning the 2009 under-20 world championship, Ghana believed that it had a crop of players that would bring a golden generation of soccer riches to the Land of the Warrior King.
But, for Ghana, ‘a golden generation of riches’ doesn’t describe what ensued. “Close But No Cigar” is apropos.
Yes, Ghana reached the finals of the 2010 CAF African Cup of Nations but bowed out as runners-up. In that very same year, Ghana became the third African team to reach the World Cup quarterfinals but lost on penalty kicks (4-2) to Uruguay. It was a matter of misfortune, though. Luis Suarez’s deliberate handball prevented Steven Appiah’s header from crossing the line.
Losing happened again–this time in 2015–when Ivory Coast ousted Ghana 9-8 on penalty kicks in African Cup of National play. And, once again, this year in AFCON Ghana was taken out by Tunisia short of the quarterfinals…yes, again, by penalty shots (5-4)
So, now, after ten years or more of playing together, these promising players may have played their last game together for their national team. Much like Argentina, Ghana is likely to be remembered as a team that didn’t deliver on high expectations.
Make no mistake about it, most of these players will ply their trade abroad, some in the world’s top leagues. Jordan Ayew plays for Crystal Place (on loan from Swansea City). The Italian giant, Internazionale currently contracts Kwado Asamoah. Dede Andre Ayew is at Fenerbance (on loan from Swansea City). Mubarak Wakaso is on the books at Deportivo Alaves. Thomas Partey is with Atletico Madrid. Richard Ofori is a Maritzburg United player in South Africa.
Yes, it’s a story of ‘what could have been’ for a national team that was loaded with stars.
