Stephen Appiah turned down Black Meteors captaincy in 2004 – Chibsah

Appiah’s charisma and organizational abilities have always been mentioned as the key to his success as captain.

With Appiah as the leader of the playing body, Ghana made it to two World Cups with a quarter-final finish at the 2010 World Cup.

The team’s success has been largely attributed to Appiah’s inspirational and unifying skills.

Chibsah told www.ghanaweb.com Appiah’s exemplary attitude transcended the football pitch.

He described him as not only a great person but a unifier and talented footballer who epitomizes what captaincy should be.

According to Chibsah, the former Juventus midfielder may not the best footballer in the history of Ghana football, but his status as the most successful captain is without equivocation.

“Stephen is a fantastic person. As a philanthropist, he’s done a lot. He’s helped a lot of people during his playing days and as a leader, he has all the top qualities of leadership. As a footballer, I don’t need to tell you. You look at the clubs he played for and where he ended up to”.

“We all felt like brothers in camp. It doesn’t matter whether you are a junior player or domestic or foreign professional, we all felt equal in camp. The way he will talk to you and address you. Stephen always involved the playing body in decision making. He makes you feel like you are part of the decision-making process and therefore you are important to the group”. Chibsah revealed that during the 2004 Olympic Games, he offered Appiah whom he considered as his senior the captain's armband but he turned it down.

He explained that Appiah’s qualities were innate and he exuded it with ease and efficiency.

“I had the opportunity to be with him at the Olympic Games. I offered him the captaincy and he rejected it. He said my boy just have a feel of the captainship so that you will know how leadership is. Stephen is a topnotch person”.