Salifu Ibrahim during his days with Hearts of Oak
Former Hearts of Oak playmaker, Salifu Ibrahim has opened up about his inability to break into Ghana’s senior national team during his peak years in the Ghana Premier League, saying he is still unsure what went wrong despite his standout performances.
Speaking in an interview with Fakye TV, the 25-year-old midfielder, who recently sealed a move to Kosovo side FC Drita, addressed questions surrounding his continuous exclusion from Black Stars call-ups.
“Personally, I don’t understand it. I feel maybe they had the quality that I had already in the team or I didn’t fit their criteria,” Salifu admitted.
Ibrahim, who won the Ghana Premier League and five trophies with Hearts of Oak was widely regarded as one of the most creative and consistent midfielders in the domestic league.
He was named both club and league MVP during Hearts’ title-winning 2020/21 campaign and racked up two goals and 10 assists in his final season with the club.
Yet, despite his impact, he remained absent from the Black Stars setup.
During the interview, Ibrahim also addressed suggestions that his club’s decision to block his participation with the U-23 national team may have hurt his chances.
“I don’t agree that that’s the cause of me not being called up because I wasn’t the only player that Hearts didn’t allow to leave when I got called up. But after that, Barnieh was called again to the national team, so, that can’t be the cause,” he explained.
He further dismissed claims that his management team failed to “lobby” for a national team spot.
“National team is not a club team that would need my manager to lobby for me before I get called up. The call-up is based on your performance,” he explained.
Ibrahim featured 24 times for FC Drita in the 2024/25 Superliga Kosovës season, registering one goal and one assist while also making one appearance in the UEFA Europa Conference League qualifiers and four in the Kosovar League Cup.
FKA/AME
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