Since Asamoah Gyan left his role as first-choice penalty taker for the Black Stars, Jordan Ayew has been the go-to guy for spot-kicks.
Unlike many Ghanaian players who crumble under such situations, the Crystal Palace forward has perfected the act of scoring from 12 yards and become Ghana’s most reliable penalty taker.
Since 2013, the third son of the legendary Abedi Pele has successfully converted ten kicks for both club and country, a record no Ghanaian players boast of within the period.
The confidence he exudes when effecting the kick, the arrogance and panache with which he goes about his penalty business has earned him plaudits from fans of the team.
One goalkeeper who has been at the receiving end of Jordan’s unblemished penalty record albeit in unofficial games is Black Stars goalkeeper Fatau Dauda.
Dauda has in an interview with GhanaWeb Sports editor Daniel Oduro revealed the effort Jordan puts into perfecting that aspect of his craft.
According to him, during training sessions, Jordan will wage a bet with him and promise him some amount of cash if he is able to save one of his kicks.
Unfortunately for the former Ashgold man, he never saved any of those penalties.
Fatau narrated this story while stating his position on whether spot-kicks are luck or science.
The former Enyimba goalkeeper who has returned home with hopes of relaunching his career disagreed with the school of thought that states that penalties are luck.
Like his national teammate Jordan Ayew, Fatau is of the opinion that only players who commit their time to practicing penalty kicks master them.
“I don’t believe we are cursed. It’s time for us the players to learn about the techniques. If we learn the technique, trust me we’ll do well. Let me tell you one guy, Jordan. When I was in the national team after training the coach will give us 15 minutes for personal workouts. He will tell me, Lion if you save one, I will give you 50$ but I couldn’t save one”, he said.
Fatau who confirmed he is close to sealing a deal with Premier League side Wa All Stars expressed doubts with the new proposed penalty rule by the GFA which requires drawn games in the league to be settled via penalty kicks.
“I don’t know if this has been introduced in any football association in the world. It’s a proposal but I don’t know if the clubs have accepted it. Apart from the CHAN how many local players can go play in the tournament. I can say it’s a good idea but other times too I will say it is not good because the players themselves must learn. Ronaldo and Messi, they do their own personal training"
