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Former Black Stars skipper Stephen Appiah has disclosed that his decision to represent Ghana in the 2004 Olympic Games in Athens cost his Juventus career.
According to Appiah, when Juventus received a mail from the Ghana FA, the then management of the Italian Seria A outfit were not willing to let him go and represent his country but he took the bold decision to represent Ghana despite putting his career at risk.
“Juventus had received a communication from Ghana before the Olympics, but the managers did not seem willing to let me go – Appiah explains – I told him that I would think about it, they asked me the next day by calling me in after the training session,” Appiah told KOD on Instagram.
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“I was worried, I was afraid that for the slightest mistake I could lose my contract. But I said I was still thinking about it. If I had said that I had not left, I would have had problems with my country. So I took courage and one day I told him I was leaving.”
“They asked me why, I replied that I was happy to play for Juventus but that my country came first.
Appiah who was a kingpin in the Juventus squad under the then head coach Fabio Capello had to be sold to Turkish giant Fenerbache in 2005 despite enjoying a good first season at Juventus.
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“On my return, the problems began. I lost my place in the team and had to look for a new accommodation, fortunately I agreed with Fenerbahce.”
Despite all the trauma that he went through, the two times Ghana Footballer of the Year believes he never regret taking the decision to play for Ghana because “if Ghana has arrived where it is, it is also thanks to our contribution.”
At Fenerbache, Stephen Appiah spent three seasons, capping 65 matches with 11 goals.
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Meanwhile, in the 2004 Olympic Games, Appiah was named in the tournament All-Star team.
He played for clubs like Hearts of Oak, Udinese, Parma, Brescia, Juventus, Fenerbache, Bologna, Cesena and Vojvodina.
