English-born Ghanaian Eddie Nketiah
English-born Ghanaian Eddie Nketiah has explained his decision to have his Ghanaian name on the back of his shirt.
According to the former Arsenal forward, the name represents his family; therefore, wearing it is one of the proudest moments he can offer them.
He further explained that he comes from a family of footballers who couldn’t live their dream, so having the name on his back is a way of sharing the experience with them.
“It means everything. So many descendants come from that name, so I’m making a lot of people proud,” he told NBC/By Way of Africa.
“Also, there are some people in my family who probably wanted to be footballers but couldn’t quite get there. So through me, they get to live that experience and feel the pride of seeing the name when I step on the pitch, score, or celebrate achievements.”
Footballers generally have some freedom in choosing their shirt names. While many use their surnames, others opt for nicknames or shortened versions of longer names.
Eddie Nketiah was born to Ghanaian parents in England, where he began his football career. He played for Arsenal’s youth team before earning a promotion to the senior team in 2020.
After spending four years with the Gunners, the striker secured a transfer to Crystal Palace in the summer of 2024 in search of regular playing time.
He was close to switching nationality to play for Ghana in 2022, but the move did not materialize despite securing his Ghanaian passport.
He is still eligible to play for Ghana, as he has yet to make three competitive appearances for England. He made his England debut in 2023 in a friendly against Australia.
EE/BB
Meanwhile, watch as Ghanaians applaud Black Stars for excellent performances against Chad, Madagascar
