Gerald Asamoah: Ex Ghanaian Striker Defends Decision to Represent Germany Over Black Stars

• Ex-Schalke 04 striker Gerald Asamoah has opened up about his decision to represent Germany over his country of birth, Ghana
• Born in Mampong, in the Ashanti region, Ghana, Asamoah and his family emigrated to Germany in the early nineties
• The 46-year-old also disclosed the difficulty he faced, including court issues, representing the European country

Gerald Asamoah has stood by his choice to represent Germany instead of Ghana at the international level.

While many footballers of African descent often reverse-migrate to play for their ancestral homelands, Asamoah charted a different course.

Gerald Asamoah: The first African-born footballer to play for Germany

Born in Mampong, Ashanti region, but raised in Germany, he became the first African-born black player to feature for Die Mannschaft, receiving his maiden call-up under Rudi Völler in May 2001.

Making his debut later that month, the then 22-year-old made an immediate impression by scoring in a 2-0 victory over Slovakia.

That performance set the tone for a career with the national team that spanned five years, during which he featured in two FIFA World Cups largely as a squad player.

According to data from Transfermarkt, he accumulated 43 appearances and netted six times for Germany.

Gerald Asamoah has no regrets choosing Germany over Ghana

Looking back on the choice to represent the four-time world champions over Ghana, the former Schalke 04 forward remained resolute.

"I think, deciding to play for Germany's life, I have been to two World Cups. I think my first was 2002. I played in the final. We lost in the final, I came late when Ronaldo scored the goal [winner]," he told Joy Sports.

"If I should have the chance again, I'll go this way again because this gave me so much. This gave me so much impact."

Asamoah opens up on ordeal he went through playing for Germany

The now 46-year-old's presence disrupted stereotypes and reshaped narratives in a country where players of African descent were rarely seen in the national team.

He acknowledges the social toll his decision came with, but takes pride in the long-term impact it has had.

"This gave me the acceptance, acceptance. Accepted in German also. And now, if you see how many blacks are playing for German national team, so I opened doors for many. Because before me, there was no really black guy, an African black guy who played for Germany."

"Let me be honest with you, I know how many fights I had and how many court issues I had with some people because I was being insulted for anything because people were not ready for this black guy to play for the [German] national team, and I opened the door."

"So now seeing, these doors open for other guys make me proud, and I think, yeah, I think this is when I asked you to ask. I think if I have the chance to do the same thing, I will take the win."

Gerald Asamoah spends GH¢4.4 m to perform surgery on kids in Ghana

In an earlier report, YEN.com.gh highlighted Gerald Asamoah's remarkable act of generosity, flying in 35 medical professionals from Germany to Ghana to perform free heart surgeries on children with hole-in-heart conditions.

The life-saving procedures, carried out over the course of a week, benefited 28 children and were valued at around €250,000 (GH¢4.4 million).

Source: YEN.com.gh