Robert Mensah rated Ghana's best goalie of all-time
Osei recounts playing with Robert Mensah
In his relatively short time spent on earth, Robert Mensah built a niche as not just Ghana's safest pair of hands but Africa’s best goalie.
For those fortunate enough to have witnessed Robert Mensah in post, no Ghanaian keeper comes close to him. So good he was that he could deliberately give a pass to an opposing player and dare him to shoot in a competitive match.
With his towering figure and quick reflexes, the Cape Coast-born goalkeeper was a nightmare for every defender that came up against him.
But this incredible skillset of Robert Mensah was partly influenced by Indian hemp, known popularly as 'wee', according to his teammate, Osei Kofi.
Accounts by Osei Kofi depicts someone who loved his puff and would not pass on a chance to have one before games.
This affection between Robert Mensah and the smoking substance was so strong that he could not do without it.
Osei Kofi recounts that during the 1970 AFCON final, Robert Mensah threatened to boycott the final of the tournament after he run out of wee.
In a narration in Saddick Adams’ insightful documentary about the life of Robert Mensah, his Kotoko teammate Osei Kofi detailed the incident that almost kept Ghana’s celebrated keeper out of the AFCON final.
“During the 1970 AFCON, Robert Mensah run out of his smoking substance so he sent a young boy to the house of Sammi Duodoo. That was the Sudanese goalkeeper during the 1963 AFCON. He asked him to buy the substance for him.
“When the boy returned, Ben Koufie saw the boy and took the substance from him with a promise to hand it over to Robert Mensah. It was about 45 minutes to the final game. Ben Koufie was confused about whether he should allow him smoke or not.
“It was getting close to kick-off so John Eshun who was captain visited the rooms of every player to remind them about the game. Robert Mensah was sleeping in his room so John Eshun asked him why and replied that his ammunitions had finished so he could not keep the post.
“John Eshun came to inform Ben Koufie and Ben Koufie told him about the earlier incident. He went and gave it to Robert and within twenty minutes, Robert was done. He was in good spirit, chanting gospel songs. It was inspirational. He won the man of the match award in that game,” Osei Kofi narrated.
In the game itself, Ghana succumbed to a 1-0 defeat to host Sudan to finish second in the tournament.
