Former Black Stars defender Jonathan Mensah has denied rumours about his retirement from football after he was seen with a camera at the 2026 FIFA World Cup.

Mensah, who played for Udinese, Granada, and Columbus Crew, explained that photography has been a personal passion for a long time and does not mean he is ending his football career.

Mensah was seen taking photos during the tournament, including at Ecuador’s training session. This led many fans to think he had retired to become a full-time photographer.

In an interview with Dan Kwaku Yeboah TV, Mensah explained that while he brought his camera to the Black Stars’ camp, he did not end up using it.

“I did go to the camp. I did have the camera with me, but I didn’t pull it out. It’s important to have it to be able to capture some moments, but I didn’t pull it,” he said.

Mensah said that the photos led to many calls and messages from people who thought he had retired from football.

“When people found out, there were calls and messages where people said they didn’t know I was retired, but I told them I haven’t yet. They also said they didn’t know I was into photography. I told them, ‘Now you know,’ but that’s not my profession yet. It might be at some point, but it’s just my passion and I love doing it.”

The 34-year-old added that he has enjoyed photography as a hobby for many years, and the World Cup just made more people aware of it.

“Photography is just my passion and hobby, and I’ve done that for quite some time now. This is the time it came out for everybody to see, so it’s something I’ve loved to do for a long time, and I’m glad people are seeing the other side of me.”

Jonathan Mensah played 70 times for Ghana and took part in the 2010 and 2014 FIFA World Cups with the Black Stars.