Baba Yara and the Black Stars 1963 squad
The visit of the Black Stars squad of 1963 to the bedridden Baba Yara has become an iconic moment in Ghanaian football history due to the events that preceded the visit.
Baba Yara was a member of the squad and could have been an AFCON winner, but he was ruled out following a spinal injury.
In an act of solidarity, the Black Stars players visited and presented the trophy to him.
In an image shared by X user GyapKay, Baba Yara was seen lying on his bed with a big smile with the trophy beside him.
The flamboyant winger, a livewire for the team, missed out on the tournament after being involved in an accident a few months prior.
The Kotoko legend, who was playing for Real Republicans at the time, was involved in an accident while returning to Accra after a game against Volta Heroes in Kpando.
He was flown to the United Kingdom for treatment and returned to Ghana in a wheelchair on August 14, 1963.
Baba Yara’s career was cut short at age 26. He was bedridden for six years before passing away in 1969.
December 1963
Black Star players visit Baba Yara at his Kanda home after winning the 1963 AFCON.
Yara sustained a spinal injury which rendered him bedridden a few months to the tournament and never recovered. He would die six years later.
His smile never left him though. pic.twitter.com/UNQQoqr1KG— HIGHLIFE lives ON (@GyapKay) January 31, 2025
EE/EK
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