A former Ghanaian midfielder, Michael Essien, addressed claims that foreign-born Black Stars players underperform because of cultural differences.
Athletic Bilbao’s Spain-born striker, Iñaki Williams, has faced much of this criticism. Williams’s impressive club form hasn’t translated to success with Ghana; he’s only scored once for the national team since 2022.
Similar criticism has been leveled at Antoine Semenyo, the forward from London, for failing to meet expectations.
Dismissing that cultural differences are the cause, Essien frankly addressed the problem during his Sporty FM interview. “Sometimes we are funny. When we see these Ghanaians born in Europe, we invite them, and then when things are not going well, we say they don’t fit in; they don’t know our culture.’ For me, that’s a bit b**t,” Essien remarked.
Reported criticism of dual-nationality players like Williams and Semenyo has discouraged some from joining the Black Stars; however, Ghana still draws top talent with national ties.
Ghana’s 2006 World Cup qualification, their first, owed much to Essien, one of the nation’s most celebrated players.
Premier League and Champions League titles with Chelsea are among his career’s best moments.