Benjamin Asare (L) and Sammy Adjei (R)
Benjamin Asare has had an incredible journey, transitioning from battling relegation with Great Olympics a season ago to becoming the Black Stars‘ first-choice goalkeeper during the 2026 World Cup qualifiers in March.
With regulars Joseph Wollacott and Lawrence Ati-Zigi already in the squad, few expected Asare, a newcomer, to start.
However, he started both games against Chad and Madagascar and put up impressive performances.
Amidst his stellar performances, praises have been pouring in for the Black Stars‘ new number one.
Adding his voice to the chorus of praises is sports journalist Atta Poku, who also urged him to seek advice from legendary Black Stars goalkeeper Sammy Adjei.
However, in an interview, Poku, while acknowledging Asare’s performances in the two games, expressed his shock at seeing Asare in goal for the Black Stars.
“He surprised literally everyone, including myself, and I’m happy for him that he’s been rewarded for his exploits. But let’s be truthful to him: in both games, he was literally untested, and that is because of the way he organizes his back four and the midfield to protect him,” Poku said.
However, Poku acknowledged that challenging times lie ahead, emphasizing that not every match will be easy.
He urged Asare to seek guidance from Sammy Adjei, who was controversially dropped in favour of Richard Kingson for the 2006 World Cup, despite his strong performances during the qualifiers.
“There will be more difficult days coming up, but he needs to find Sammy Adjei wherever he is, speak to him, and let him share his Germany 2006 experience with him,” he added.
Poku further shared details of how Adjei was dropped as the Black Stars’ number-one goalkeeper.
“He was in goal for the qualifiers, did an excellent job, and was there for us. Everybody thought that going into the World Cup after our AFCON debacle, he was going to be the number one. Then Richard Kingson came in and took over from him,” he continued.
Before the Black Stars’ historic World Cup debut in 2006, Adjei was the team’s first-choice goalkeeper. However, just weeks before the tournament, Kingson was handed the starting role in a friendly against Turkey.
Kingson’s standout performance cemented his place as Ghana’s undisputed number one, a decision that sparked outrage among Adjei’s supporters, who felt he had been unfairly sidelined.
FKA/EK
Meanwhile, watch as Ghanaians applaud Black Stars for excellent performances against Chad, Madagascar
