In a very revealing but relaxed interview, Agyemang Badu speaks on the struggles his mother (he fondly calls Mama Thess) had to endure to give him and his siblings the upbringing they had and why his mum’s happiness is central to everything he does.
After nearly 7 years with Udinese in Italy, Agyemang Badu traded the Italian league for the Turkish Leauge, signing a season-long loan deal with Bursaspor but the midfielder’s season did not go as expected. After a good start to life in Turkey, he got injured and spent a chunk of the season in the treatment room but Badu has placed last season’s disappointment behind him. His focus is on the upcoming season though he remains coy on where he will be playing his football.
Agyemang Badu also shares his frustrations with Ghana’s inability to win the AFCON since 1982 despite making the finals twice in the last 10 years, stating that “I will prefer us (Ghana) winning the AFCON to qualifying for the World Cup.
Ghana made history in 2009 as the first and so far the only African country to have lifted the World Youth Championship.
With Brazil’s Alex Texeira missing his penalty, Ghana and Africa were presented with an opportunity to score and lift the trophy on African soil (Egypt). But who was going to step up and take the kick knowing very well that missing it will result in more than 20 million tongues castigating and vilifying you for the rest of your life.
Agyemang Badu who had just signed for Kotoko showed courage and patriotism and took the kick. He calmly slotted it home, sending the Brazil goalie the wrong way and that’s how Ghana won her first and only FIFA World Youth Championship trophy.
Today, he looks back with pride and glee as he shares with Daniel Oduro how achieved that, revealing an interesting story of how coach Sellas Tetteh warned him ‘not to get close to the penalty kicks’.
It is the dream of every player to play in the World Cup and Agyemang Badu is sad Ghana is not present in Russia. He however is channeling the disappointment into supporting Croatia, a country he has been supporting for the past 8 years.
He also has a word of support for Samuel Inkoom who is currently serving a FIFA ban.
