Ghana defender, Baba Rahman has explained his decision to pull out of Ghana’s National Team, Black Stars squad for the upcoming 2023 Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) tournament in Ivory Coast.
Baba Rahman was initially named in Black Stars 55-man provisional squad. But his name was missing in the final squad for the AFCON tournament.
In a statement on his X, Baba Rahman stated that his decision to opt out of the AFCON was solely based on footballing reasons and nothing else.
According to him, he has had to battle injuries and recovery times and I feel that it’s best in the interest of my career and that of the team to only play when I don’t have to think about recovery or pain.
Adding that the life span of a footballer is very short, hence his decision to pull out of the Black Stars squad.
“I just wanted to say that the decision to opt out of the AFCON was solely based on footballing reasons and nothing else.” He said.
“The last few years I have had to battle injuries and recovery times and I feel that it’s best in the interest of my career and that of the team to only play when I don’t have to think about recovery or pain- that way I can always give my best to the team.”
“The life span of a footballer is very short and sometimes we have to make these tough calls for the general interest of the nation we love the most and that of our career to enable longevity.” The statement read.
Baba Rahman has been criticised for his poor performance recently.
Read the full statement by the former Chelsea player.
Hear me out:
I just wanted to say that the decision to opt out of the AFCON was solely based on footballing reasons and nothing else.
Playing for my country will always be the highest point of my career and every time I have been lucky to wear the shirt I have given my all.
The last few years I have had to battle injuries and recovery times and I feel that it’s best in the interest of my career and that of the team to only play when I don’t have to think about recovery or pain- that way I can always give my best to the team.
The life span of a footballer is very short and sometimes we have to make these tough calls for the general interest of the nation we love the most and that of our career to enable longevity.
I would be cheering the team and pushing them on to try to win us the AFCON we all desire. But as of now let’s all support anyone the manager picks because the most important thing is Ghana which is bigger than any individual.
God bless our homeland and make us great and strong
