Ghanaian defender Gideon Mensah has opened up about how Black Stars captain Andre Dede Ayew helped him cope with playing in the Black Stars team.
In his narration, Mensah indicated that during the 2022 World Cup hosted by Qatar, Dede Ayew urged him to stay calm despite the pressure that comes with playing for the national team.
He disclosed that the Le Havre attacker’s words of motivation helped him adapt to the team and play without feeling nervous.
Speaking in an interview with Flashscore, Mensah commended Dede Ayew for his impact on his career, especially with the Black Stars.
“I remember during the warm-up, the captain Andre Ayew came to me. It was like head to head; his head was right in front of my forehead. He said, ‘Listen, you’ve been waiting for this. This is the moment where you need to show everybody’s watching you. You can’t make mistakes—you can’t let them down.’”
“That was something that really helped me a lot. After that speech, I forgot about everything else. Being on the field, I didn’t think about whoever was watching; I was just focused on the game,” he said.
During the 2022 World Cup, Mensah rose to the occasion and played a key role in Ghana’s win over South Korea.
His low cross led to Mohammed Kudus’ winning goal as Ghana emerged winners in a thrilling 3-2 scoreline.
However, it was not enough as the team exited the competition at the group stages.
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