Stephen Appiah, a former captain of the Black Stars, has warned the young and children of Chorkor not to fall prey to any false promises of a quick path to prosperity.
He claimed the five things to do to be successful are fasting, attention, hard effort, commitment, and discipline when speaking on January 7th, 2023 at the Extra O Park.
Stephen Appiah thought back to a time when he had to play football on the gravel at Mighty Victory, popularly known as Fattal Babies, without any boots since times were so tough.
“Today you people are very lucky because you have good turfs to play on with modern boots,” he said.
The Super Star who took Ghana to its first FIFA World Cup in 2006 in Germany claims that things have changed significantly since he was growing up in Chorkor and had no one to inspire or guide him until he joined Accra Hearts of Oak, where he was forced to run home from the Arts Center in Accra because there was no money for food or “trotro” transportation.
“You people are very lucky now because when we were growing up there was no social media or networking or phones that can take pictures, but now things are easy, which means many of the youth in Chorkor can make it even bigger than Stephen Appiah ” he expressed.
He warned the kids about falling for lies since getting ahead requires a lot of effort.
He recalled visiting Italy and other locations where he was unaware of the local cuisine and culture, but had to adapt and prevail through humility.
Because not everyone is a sportsman or a tennis prodigy, Stephen Tornado Appiah urged students to treat education seriously because it is the key to unlocking doors to prosperity.
He observed that there were many people who were superior to him, but they did not advance very far because they lacked discipline.
He was invited to a gathering where young people were taught how to play table tennis and he prayed that Chorkor will continue to create champions in a variety of sports and other endeavors.
Born and raised in Chorkor, Appiah has played for numerous European clubs, including Juventus, FK Vojvodina Novi Sad, Cesena FC, Bologna FC, Fenerbahçe Spor Kulübü, FC, Brescia Calico, and Parma Calico.
He participated in the Athens 2004 Olympic Games as well as leading the Ghana Black Stars to the World Cup. He has received numerous honors and medals.