John Paintsil, who was discovered at a very young age, happens to be one of the few players who went through the ranks of Ghana’s youth team and ended up in the senior national team, the Black Stars.
John Paintsil's first appearance for the national team was at the U-20 level when he was invited to camp by coach EK Afranie. John Paintsil was unable to break into the team due to the depth of forwards at the disposal of the coach.
“I was a forward but it was difficult to get a chance to play because we have players like Derek Boateng, Obodai, Razak Ibrahim, Razak Pimpong, Michael Essien,” John Paintsil said in an interview on Experiences in Life.
According to him, despite making it to the provisional squad, he was on the verge of getting dropped out of the final squad for the 2001 U20 World Cup in Argentina. However, the late coach EK Afranie gave him a lifeline when he asked to play as a right back.
Paintsil recalled that the decision to switch his position made it tough for him to grapple but he was able to deliver to expectation which resulted in him earning the final slot in the squad for the tournament.
“The last match we played was against Germany when the coach called me and told me I would play the number 2 position. I was worried and stopped eating,” the ex-Fulham player recalled.
“The next day, I started the match as number 2 and we were on the verge of losing by 1-0 in the game. So in the final minutes of the game, I decided to take a chance and overlap and that was when I dribbled into the box cutback for Derek Boateng to level up. That was my breakthrough at the national level.
“That night when EK Afranie confirmed that I had made it to the final squad, I really ate because I had a sound mind,” Paintsil stated.
John Paintsil made 89 appearances for the Ghana national team playing at the AFCON and World Cup tournaments.
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Former Black Stars player, John Paintsil