Stephen Appiah Speaks on How Mohammed Gargo Helped Him Get a Contract at Udinese

• Stephen Appiah has expressed gratitude to former teammate Mohammed Gargo for his role in the early days of his career
• Appiah and the former Ghana international played together at Italian top-flight side Udinese Calcio
• The former Black Stars captain has been awarded the Continental Icon in Sports at the 2024 EMY Africa awards

Former Ghana captain Stephen Appiah has shared the story of how he earned his first professional contract following the sacrifice made by teammate Mohammed Gargo.

Appiah arrived in Italy in 1997 as a youngster from Ghana hoping to secure a deal. However, he had to join the youth side of Udinese, where he was under observation for weeks.

Having impressed the club, he was still not handed a deal but rather included in the first team for friendly matches.

Mohammed Gargo, a former Ghana international who was already an established player in the Udinese side, had to fake an injury to hand Appiah an opportunity to convince the first-team coaches.

Read also

"He Could Have Handled the Andre Ayew Situation Better": Sannie Daara on Otto Addo's Shortcomings

Appiah was named Continental Icon at the Emy Africa Awards over the weekend, as sighted on social media. During his acceptance speech, Appiah expressed gratitude to Gargo, claiming it was because of him that he was on that stage.

"We played a friendly game, the senior side against Sturm Graz from Austria. We started the game in the 80th minute. Gargo Mohammed faked an injury for me to have the chance, and I have the feel of the game," said Appiah, as shared in a video on social media.

"I came in 10 minutes to the end of the game; I scored a goal from 25 yards. The next day I saw myself in the newspapers, and I called Gargo Mohammed, I said there’s an article about me. So, I called him, and he said okay, come to the house. I took a bus, I went to the house, and he said, the coach said... ‘Close the door and don’t let him run away.’ After two days, I signed my first international contract."

Read also

Ernest Thompson discloses how Kwesi Appiah wanted to sack Ayew brothers

Gargo paves way for Ghanaian players in Italy

The former Ghana international's legacy in Italy paved the way for several players from the West African country.

Apart from Appiah, Sulley Muntari, Kwadwo Asamoah, Asamoah Gyan and Emmanuel Agyemang Badu all featured for Udinese.

Ghanaians celebrate Asamoah Gyan

Earlier, YEN.com.gh reported that Ghanaians have taken to social media to celebrate legendary striker Asamoah Gyan as he turned 39 on November 22, 2024.

The former Black Stars captain, who spent almost two decades with the senior national team, received well wishes from his fans and followers of Ghanaian football.

Gyan retired from football in 2023 after an illustrious career that saw him play in Europe and Asia.

Source: YEN.com.gh