Ex-Ghana captain Stephen Appiah has officially announced his retirement from football after about 20 years of a successful career.
The former Juventus star announced his decision on Wednesday in a statement.
Appiah said he is retiring with a “great measure of fulfillment,” because he “bowed out serving my country with honour and selfless dedication in what was, is and will always be the most important sport or activity in Ghana.”
The “Tornado,” as he is affectionately called, led the Black Stars to their first ever World Cup tournament in 2006 in Germany and was also part of the team that qualified for the first time to the quarter final of the World Cup in South Africa 2010.
Describing one of his proudest achievements in a career that lasted two decades, he said: “Every time I wore the most inspiring jersey in the world ‘Black Stars shirt’, I realized how fortunate I was not to only follow in a long line of great players that have played for Ghana but also the joy of representing every Ghanaian that cared passionately about their country. I’m honoured to represent Ghana both on and off the pitch.”
Appiah was part of the back room staff of Black Stars coach Kwesi Appiah when the team participated in the World Cup tournament in Brazil in 2014.
He played for some of Europe’s big clubs including Juventus, Fernabache, Udinese among others.
In Ghana he played for Accra Hearts of Oak.
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By: Nana Boakye-Yiadom/citifmonline.com/Ghana