I have never considered myself a football fan. Heck I can’t even remember the last time I sat down to watch a game of football. And no, I am not a bimbo…I just don’t like sports.
The only time you would catch me watching a football game is when Ghana is playing, and it has to be an international match. I do enjoy such games because I know the players. I know their stories. I know how they started and how far they’ve come. For most of them, it is a story of grass to grace. It resonates with me as well as a whole lot of Ghanaians.
In 2006, Ghana qualified to play in the world cup for the very first time. As a non-football fan, all I could process from that piece of information was that Ghana was going to share the stage along with other big name countries. It was a chance to for the whole world to know about this awesome tiny West African country.
We were put in a group along with Czech Republic, Germany and the USA. These countries were giants in the football world (well apart from the USA). I can never forget how Ghana’s performance at the 2006 world cup made me feel. In particular I remember the match between Ghana and the USA. That match was a make or break match for us. It was either we won, or our team would be sent back home. You see, nobody even thought Ghana would leave any mark in the games. After all, that was our very first world cup. But the Black Stars surprised everyone, including Ghanaians watching at home.