Afriyie Acquah's Nine Lives (Pt 2)
The concluding part of the Black Stars midfielder's interview is a flashback to some pivotal moments in his career
Heidelberg. Germany. January 23, 2013.
A private jet had landed at an airstrip. Its sole occupant, a high flying Ghanaian midfielder, had big ambitions and the Bundesliga was a stepping stone to the next level of his ultimate target- the English Premier League.
Hoffenheim were in no doubt they had signed an outstanding talent in the 21 year old aboard the plane. They had fended off the resistance of his loan club, Parma to land him. They had spent millions and given him a four year contract.
TSG sporting director Andreas Müller said at the time.
“Despite his young age, Afriyie Acquah has the class and above all the desire to help out TSG. On top of that, he can play in a position that we are lacking options in at the moment due to injuries.”
What could possibly go wrong? Everything. According to Afriyie Acquah as he recalls the details of his failed foray into the Bundesliga.
“The Hoffenheim deal came too early for me. January transfers are hard. It’s rare for players to do well when they are signed in the winter window. I was also in the form of my life in Parma. I had even earned another call up to the Black Stars and scored my first goal against Malawi. Roberto Donadoni -who was then the coach of Parma did not want me to leave. We were doing well and were in the top half of the league at the time. I opted to leave because I was convinced it was going to be a good stepping stone to the Premier League.”
The flight in the private jet was as exciting as his time in Germany would get. The coach who had identified Acquah as the solution to his problems was Marco Kurz. Hoffenheim were relegation strugglers and needed a shot of power and energy to get their fading campaign back on track. Acquah was going to provide that shot.
“I remember landing on Wednesday and training on Thursday. The team travelled away that weekend and I made the bench. I did not play, but that was expected. I made the squad for the next two games but did not get the chance to take the field. Then disaster struck. The coach (Kurz) was fired after the third game. That was the beginning of the end for me.”
It is a chapter in his career, he is particularly disappointed in and says he cannot forget. The reasons are many.
“What hurts the most about that transfer is that I had just scored my debut goal for the Black Stars in an AFCON qualifier. It was against Malawi. If I had not transferred to Hoffenheim, I would have been in Ghana’s AFCON 2013 squad. It kills me more because I did not play a single match for Hoffenheim in the Bundesliga. Think about it. A regular in a team like Parma and I could not even play a game in the Bundesliga.
When the season ended, I put in a request to be sent out on loan. Thus, I went back to Parma.”
The episode at Hoffenheim has driven his resolve since. It dented his burgeoning reputation in his eyes. Now it does not matter where he plays. Sitting on the bench is not an option. Perhaps it explains why at only 28 and barely a decade into his career, he has played for seven different teams in three countries. A mix of technical and cultural influences permeate a career like that, but he has adapted quite easily in most of those settings.
All are part of his Palermo lessons.
“I recall my first year as a player with the main team was difficult because I hadn’t really adapted. However, those who watched saw the makings of a talented footballer and told me to keep going. The tactical part of the game is the most important part of the game. If you cannot adapt, you will not survive. In Italy for instance, every Thursday we spend an hour just doing non-contact tactical play. We study how our opponents play and how we will respond. If you do not have the head for it you will not survive. The rest is your talent.”
Acquah’s talent has earned him wealth and fame. A combination that he has not always put to the best use as indicated by his constant appearances on the tabloid pages for his off field shenanigans. He still caries the carefree nature of a kid with no burdens who exists with nary a worry on earth. Its his default mode. Those who knew him as a ten year old recall one name. Awotwe.
“In Sunyani, Awotwe was famous before Afriyie Acquah. It is what we all called him” recalls Charles Kwadwo Ntim, the football administrator who got him a chance to train with B.A United when he was barely out of his teens.
Awotwe in the local Akan language means eight. It is not uncommon for the eighth child to be named as such. Acquah, though, was not the eighth born child of his parents.
“My cousin actually gave me that name and it stuck. I don’t know how he came up with it, but once I started becoming known for football in Sunyani and its environs it almost became my official name. It is only recently that people in the area actually started calling me by my given name”.
His given name is a tribute to his grandmother. The linguist.
“I was named after. She is called Afriyie. She means a lot to me because I spent a lot of time with her growing up so my mother could work at the chop bar. Outside of her role as the linguist to the queen mother, she was also sort of an official master of ceremonies for funerals and weddings in the community”.
He believes he derives his strong personality from her. Very few things awe him. A national team call up is one of those things. Even after almost forty games in the colors of the Ghana.
“Goran Stephanovic gave me my debut. I was playing for Palermo and doing well. Nobody knew who I was. Most people even thought I was one of those migrant kids born in Italy. Playing for the senior national team was not part of my to do list at that time. I did not follow local news or anything of that sort. So one day after training when the team manager informed me I had been called to the national team, my initial reaction was that it was a Black Satellites call up.”
It wasn’t. His debut season had caught the attention Ghanaian selectors and they gave him a run out against Chile in 2012.
“My first day in camp, I was overawed. I was in the presence of some of the biggest names in Ghanaian football like Derek Boateng and others. I was shaking honestly. I played a bit in that game, but I was not called up again until I featured in the game against Malawi.”
It’s a feeling he says he has gone through 38 times.
“Every player is happy to be invited. It never gets old. Your family feels the pride because people get to know them better. If I’m with the national team, people who don’t watch the Turkish league at least can see I am still around and active. I am always happy to represent my country”.
Back on the matter of his current location, he is enjoying the multicultural lifestyle Turkey offers. After a 2019 summer where he was linked with several moves out of Italy, there was general surprise when Yeni Matalyspor was announced as his next destination. His Turkish adventure has been been rocky, but he is not complaining too much.
“I’ll say that Turkey has been successful. The team is going through a difficult period, but it’s part of the game. Turkish football fits me and my personality. It’s more carefree than the tactical strait jacket in Italy. It’s the Covid-19 that has slowed things down. The fans call me King here you know.”
He might sound comfortable, but there will be very few surprises if Acquah announces a new destination soon. There were whispers he almost returned to Italy in January with Lecce as his destination. It will not matter where he ends up. If there is one footballer who has perfected the art of starting over, it is Awotwe Afriyie Acquah.
Cool as always