Mohammed Kudus is a Ghanaian and Tottenham Hotspur ‘starboy’
Ghana and Tottenham Hotspur star, Mohammed Kudus, has revealed how he developed his dribbling technique playing on ‘bumpy and sandy’ pitches in his hometown in Nima.
The Spurs forward is one of the best dribblers in the world, and he is currently enjoying a good start to life in North London.
While admitting his upbringing shaped his career, Kudus was also quick to explain good pitches help a player’s technique.
“I think in circumstances like that, obviously, in the sand you don’t really know and expect how the ball is supposed to move or bounce over. You have to react towards it quickly. That was the situation back then. It’s something we definitely want to change now,” he said at the pre-match presser of Spurs’ UEFA Champions League game against Slavia Praha.
“I think playing on good pitches here helps a lot. Looking at it from a positive point of view, I think it helps your technique in a way. If you can play in the sand where you don’t know where the ball is supposed to move and it changes very quickly and you have to react to it, then when you have a better pitch, it definitely helps.
“It’s something we all play a part in to change, to improve, back home, to get children growing up just like I was, to get better pitches which helps their development when they come to Europe. Looking at it from a positive point of view, it helps in a way.”
According to Kudus, playing on sandy pitches also helps with a player’s control of the ball.
He also added: “I think it’s close control. In the sand, you don’t know the direction where the ball is going, so you need to react quickly to that. I think it’s close control.”
