Veteran Ghanaian coach Joseph Emmanuel Sarpong has said he discovered former Black Stars goalkeeper Richard Kingston, commonly known as Olele when he was in dire need of a goalkeeper.
Sarpong, who was then the head coach of Great Olympics, explained that he was out of goalkeeping options, with both his first-choice and backup goalkeepers unavailable.
According to him, his first-choice goalkeeper, Mbale—who is now deceased—was out of town, while the backup goalkeeper had a wrist injury.
Speaking on GhanaWeb Sports Check, JE Sarpong said a man named Papa Emma recommended Olele, who was then playing for a Division 2 side, Rago FC, in Teshie.
“Olele’s rise to prominence started with me. He was playing for a team in Teshie called Rago. When I was coaching Great Olympics, I needed a goalkeeper because my first-choice, Mbale, had travelled to Takoradi on the day of the match, and my second-choice, Addo, had a wrist injury.
So, I didn’t have a goalkeeper. Then, a man called Papa Emma told me, ‘Coach, we have a goalkeeper at Rago. Let’s try him.’ I said, ‘Go and bring him,’ and that was the turning point for Olele.”
He continued, explaining that Olele impressed him in his first game, where his first save convinced Sarpong that he would become a national star.
“I put him in against Gapoha in Tema. I was there with my late team manager, Kobbina. The first shot that was taken, the way Olele caught the ball—he didn’t just kick it away but threw it—I turned to my team manager and said, ‘This is a national star. If he progresses well, he will be a national star.'”
As JE Sarpong predicted, the retired goalkeeper is now regarded as one of Ghana’s greatest-ever goalkeepers.
He spent 16 years with the Black Stars, showcasing exceptional goalkeeping skills that placed him among the greats and made him an idol for the new generation.
However, the story of the young boy who grew up in the slums of Teshie to become a national star cannot be told without mentioning JE Sarpong, who believed in Olele and gave him his breakthrough.
Richard “Olele” Kingston was also the first Ghanaian goalkeeper to be transferred for a fee paid in dollars, during his move from Great Olympics to Galatasaray.
EE/BB
Watch JE Sarpong narrate how he discovered Olele on Sports Check from 16 minutes:
