Mohammed Kudus of West Ham United considers representing his nation a tremendous honor and privilege.

Kudus debuted for Ghana’s Black Stars in 2019 against South Africa during 2021 AFCON qualifying and has become a key player for the four-time African champions.

With 12 goals in 42 games, the former Ajax player has impressed for the West African giants.

Despite Ghana’s disappointing 2023 AFCON performance, the Right to Dream Academy graduate and West Ham attacker shone, establishing himself as a key player for Ghana in his continental debut.

Though his team exited the tournament early, the 24-year-old midfielder scored twice for the four-time AFCON champions.

Kudus’s impressive national team career began after progressing through the youth system.

Looking back on his time with the team, Kudus considered representing his country a great privilege.

“It’s a huge privilege to represent our country of [nearly] 40 million people as one of the players for the Black Stars. It means so much to me,” he told NBC Sports.

“Growing up, I watched most of the legends playing for the team, and they served as motivation for me. I’m in that position, so I see it as a responsibility to do things right, set an example, and be a good role model for the kids looking up to me.

“I want to show them that it’s possible to achieve even greater things and do better than what I’m doing right now,” he added.

Following major tournament disappointments, Ghana triumphantly topped their 2026 World Cup qualifying group with 15 points, winning against Chad and Madagascar during the March internationals.

As Ghana aims for its first international trophy since 1982, Kudus’s performance will be crucial to their success, driven by his ambitions for the national team.