Appiah hoping sessions at West Ham can help fulfil Ghana dream

Ex-Ghana international Stephen Appiah has taken his first steps towards his dream of managing his country by undergoing a knowledge-sharing experience at West Ham United.

Appiah is one of Ghana’s greatest ever footballers, having starred for his country at the 2006 and 2010 World Cups.

He hung up his boots six years ago, but has now set himself the goal of taking charge of the Black Stars after their failure to qualify for Russia 2018.

Appiah observed both the first team and the academy at West Ham, taking advice from the likes of Mark Noble, Patrice Evra and Head of Medical Services Gary Lewin.

The sessions gave Appiah a valuable insight into coaching at the highest level, something which could prove invaluable in his quest to manage the national side.

Appiah spent much of his playing career in Serie A, most notably with Juventus, but it was his exploits with Ghana for which he became most famous.

He captained Ghana to their first ever World Cup appearance in Germany in 2006 and was part of the squad that came close to reaching the semi-finals in South Africa four years later.

The 37-year-old now heads up the Stephen Appiah Foundation, an organisation that provides care, quality education, health facilities and opportunities through sports to improve the overall wellness for underprivileged children in Ghana, helping them attain their full potential in life.

He is also involved in a variety of charity works focused on giving back to society and inspiring young football players.





However, his biggest passion is his desire to re-establish Ghana on the international football stage. After finishing bottom of their group at Brazil 2014, the Black Stars went on to secure the runners-up spot at the Africa Cup of Nations the following year.

However, that proved to be something of a false dawn as Ghana failed to book a fourth consecutive place at the World Cup after finishing behind Egypt in the African qualifiers.

A failure to produce quality players to play for clubs in elite leagues around the world has been cited as the main contributory factor to Ghana’s failure to make it to Russia.

Kwadow Asamoah and Thomas Partey are the only Ghanaian players who have excelled at club levels this season. Asamoah featured in the Champions League quarter-finals with Juventus, while Partey’s Atletico Madrid won the Europa League, but Ghanaian success has been thin on the ground beyond that.

Appiah, who was capped 69 times by Ghana, will hope his sessions at West Ham can set him on the path to repeating what he achieved during his playing career and lead his country back to the World Cup.

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