Michael Essien (L) and Stephen Appiah (R)
Former Black Stars midfielder Michael Essien has recounted his time with the Black Stars, revealing how some players attempted to create a rift between him and former captain Stephen Appiah.
The Black Stars camp has not been without its share of tensions, with reports suggesting that players often form cliques and divisions within the squad.
Essien, while addressing this concern during an interview with Sporty FM, recounted how he handled such issues.
“When I joined the Black Stars, I had that with Tornado (Stephen Appiah). He was our captain, but people started all these rumors about him and me. But we would call each other on the phone to address it,” he said.
He also shared moments when some players tried to drive a wedge between him and then-captain Appiah, with whom he shared a great relationship.
“We had the same guys who would talk behind us. These same guys would talk behind me and then go to Stephen and say the same thing. But I’d just pick up the phone and call him, and he would also tell me that’s the same thing they came to tell him,” he recounted.
Despite this, Essien holds no bitterness about his time with the Black Stars and believes most of the rift among the players is caused by fans.
“There is no bitterness in me, but everyone is different, and sometimes a lot of it comes from the fans. The way they talk about the players, starting rumors about rifts in the squad. This gets into the heads of the players, which is not good,” he added.
Essien played 58 times for the Black Stars, scoring 9 goals in the process.
Meanwhile, watch the latest edition of Sports Debate as some Ghanaians predict a win for Black Stars against Chad
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