John Paintsil a former Black Stars defender has hailed the influence of former captain Stephen Appiah during their playing days at the Senior national team.
Paintsil speaking on Max TV’s Black Stars Classics – World Cup edition, labelled Appiah as a “warrior” on the pitch.
Appiah, popularly known as “Tornado”, has been lauded as the most successful Black Stars captain by many.
A view Paintsil shares;
“Stephen Appiah would transform into a battle warrior anytime we stepped unto the pitch. Appiah is one of the most inspirational people I have ever played with, he was the “Dog” of the team. Stephen’s influence on the team during my time was very big, he commanded from all angles”.
He went on to say that Stephen would bark at a player but would encourage him at the same time, he revealed that Appiah was also like a brother to all his teammates but never joked with his responsibilities on the pitch.
“We did everything together, he was like a brother to us. We prayed together and played together as a team”.
The former Liberty Professionals defender said Black Stars lost to Brazil in the 2006 World Cup because of inexperience and poor communication among the defenders.
He was quick to point out that the experience has taught him a lot of lessons which will go a long way to make him a great coach in Ghana.
Source: Mutala Yakubu
