'Appiah made the game easy' - Kingston hails former Ghana teammate

BetOdds African All Stars Ghana Africa Cup of Nations Nigeria

The ex-Lokomotiv Moscow man has words of compliment for the erstwhile Juventus attacker

Former Ghana midfielder Laryea Kingston has named ex-international colleague Stephen Appiah as one of “the best” he has played alongside.

Appiah represented Ghana between 1995 and 2010, playing at two Africa Cup of Nations tournaments and two World Cup finals.

At the 2006 Afcon in Egypt, Appiah and Kingston formed a formidable midfield partnership with Sulley Muntari and Michael Essien, even though the Black Stars suffered a first-round elimination.

Nevertheless, they propelled Ghana to a maiden World Cup qualification in Germany, where Appiah scored a decisive match-winning penalty at the championship as the Black Stars beat the USA 2-1 in their last group game to book a place in the Round of 16.

“Tornado [Stephen Appiah] is someone I grew up with. For me, he is one of the best technical players that I have played with,” Kingston, on Euro 2020 Championship punditry duty with the 40-year-old Appiah, said on Joy TV.

“It is not because he is in the studio with me, but I have so much respect for him as a player.

“I feel honoured to have played with him. His technical ability, you cannot take it away from him.

“These are the guys that when you are playing with, they make the game easy for you.”

Appiah, who won the U17 World Cup with Ghana, made his senior debut in 1995 against Benin.

He made his tournament debut for the Black Stars at the 2000 Africa Cup of Nations on home soil, and went on to become captain of the side two years later.

He missed out on the 2008 Afcon tournament on home soil due to injury, just as he did with the 2010 edition, but returned to national duty for the World Cup as Ghana marched on to the quarter-final.

At club level, Appiah, who played for Hearts of Oak during his time in Ghana, featured for Italian sides Juventus, Parma, Cesena, Udinese, Brescia and Bologna.

Outside Italy, he was on the books of Turkish outfit Fenerbahce and Serbian outfit.

2021-07-06 23:00:02

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