Stephen Appiah speaks on how Mohammed Gargo helped him get a contract with Udinese

• Stephen Appiah has expressed his gratitude to former teammate Mohammed Gargo for his role in the early days of his career
• Appiah and the former Ghanaian international played together for Italian top team Udinese Calcio
• The former Black Stars captain has been presented with 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 of teammate Mohammed Gargo.

Appiah arrived in Italy as a youngster from Ghana in 1997 in the hope of securing a deal. However, he had to join the youth side of Udinese, where he was observed for weeks.

After impressing at the club, he was still unable to get a deal but was included in the first team for friendlies.

Mohammed Gargo, a former Ghana international who was already an established player at Udinese, had to fake an injury to give Appiah the chance to convince the first-team coaches.

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Appiah was named Continental Icon at the Emy Africa Prices during the weekend, as shown social media. During his acceptance speech, Appiah expressed his gratitude to Gargo, claiming that it was thanks to him that he was on that stage.

“We played a friendly match, the seniors against Sturm Graz from Austria. We started the match in the 80th minute. Gargo Mohammed feigned an injury so that I got the chance, and I have the feeling of the match,” Appiah said. as shared in a video on social media.

“I came in 10 minutes before the end of the match; I scored a goal from 25 meters. The next day I saw myself in the newspapers and I called Gargo Mohammed, I said there was 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 carriage said… ‘Close the door and don’t let him run away.’ After two days I signed my first international contract.”

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Gargo paves the 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.

Besides Appiah, Sulley Muntari, Kwadwo Asamoah, Asamoah Gyan and Emmanuel Agyemang Badu all played for Udinese.

Ghanaians celebrate Asamoah Gyan

Previously, YEN.com.gh reported that Ghanaians have taken to social media to celebrate legendary striker Asamoah Gyan when 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 has retired football in 2023 after an illustrious career that saw him play in Europe and Asia.

Source: YEN.com.gh