Did you like the banner at the airport?
– I have played in several clubs around the world, but no one has ever welcomed me in such a way at the airport (laughs). It was fun and shows that I ended up in a place with positive people.
Did you know anything about Widzew before the official offer from the club appeared? After a few years of playing for Lech Poznań, I knew that there was a club like Widzew in Poland, but I will not pretend that I was particularly interested in it. It was only when the offer appeared that I read a bit about the club on the Internet, looked at the photos and talked with my friends from Poland, and most of all with Bartek Pawłowski, with whom I was in Gaziantep FK. He told me that Widzew had once played in the Champions League, that the club has fantastic fans and what the atmosphere is at the matches.
You know Poland and Polish football thanks to your game in Lech Poznań. So you probably won’t have any major problems with acclimatization?
– Poland, and more specifically Poznań, was my second home for over two years. I have met many friendly and helpful people in your country and there was no situation that I would feel bad in Poland. I got to know Polish culture and weather a bit. As you can hear, I speak English well, so I don’t think I will have any problems with communication.
The more that you will meet old friends in Widzew’s cloakroom …
– Yes, I know that Paweł Tomczyk plays in Widzew, and recently Andrzej Kasprzak, who I also know from Lech Poznań, joined the staff. I’m glad to have familiar faces in the cloakroom.
You played in clubs in Europe most of your career. How did you even get to Europe?
– In Ghana, I played in the Liberty Professionals team and I received an invitation to a tournament organized by representatives of clubs from Europe. Scouts caught my eye and ended up in Italy as an 18-year-old. I spent some time in the lower Spanish leagues, I also played in Greece, from where I joined Lech, and later in Russia and Turkey. These are completely different countries, but I felt good in each of them. As a young boy, Italy made the biggest impression on me right after I left Africa.
And what are your goals in relation to the game in Widzew?
– First of all, I would like to be healthy, avoid injuries and play as much as possible. And then to win promotion to the league with Widzew, because I know that this is the goal of the club and this is what the fans expect. However, it is good to have specific goals, because it motivates you to work.
Will your family join you in Łódź?
– Yes. My wife still has some formalities to take care of living in Turkey, but the family will soon be joining me.
