On the 21st of July 2008, John the “Rock of Gibraltar” Mensah completed his €8.4m move from Stade Rennais to Olympique Lyon, becoming the third Ghanaian footballer to play for the French Ligue 1 outfit after Abedi Pele and Michael Essien. For the Black Stars centre-back, moving away from Italian Serie B side Unione Sportiva Cremonese, via Chievo Verona to Stade Rennais was one of the happiest days in his life as that ended a frustrating football campaign with the club based in the Northern part of Italy. In an exclusive interview with 90 MINUTES newspaper at his plush East Legon residence, Mensah talked about his rise to the top and other football related matters that you’ve never heard anywhere before. Below are excerpts.
Welcome to 90 Minutes Q & A session.
Thank you
Has it been smooth-sailing for you in attaining your objectives as a professional footballer?
Well, it has not been a smooth one as I had to pass through the lower ranks of amateur football when I was at Osei Kyeretwie Secondary School (OKESS) in Kumasi before joining the AshGold academy. My professional career began with Bologna F.C in Italy before I was loaned to AC Bellinzona in Switzerland to gain the needed experience. I’m happy now to be playing for one of the best teams in France (Lyon) even though I had some moments with clubs like Genoa, Chievo Verona, Modena, Cremonese & Stade Rennais respectively.
Of all the teams you’ve played for, which one of them do you have fond memories?
Genoa is the team that made people sit up and recognize John Mensah as most of the teams in Italy got to know me when I was playing for them. With Genoa, I was always at my best and was able to get on the score sheet as well. It was after a season at Genoa that I was transferred to Chievo Verona.
What’s the difference between the French Ligue 1 and the Italian Serie A?
The Serie A by and large relies heavily on tactics whilst the French Ligue 1 is a combination of flair and tactics. The Italian league however can boast of some of the world’s acclaimed superstars which the French League lacks since the French places much emphasis on nurturing young talents and making them big stars.
Before your switch from Rennes to Lyon, you were quoted as saying “I’m destined to play in the English Premiership”. So why did you decide to stay in France?
a point of correction, I did not specifically state that I was by all means going to play in England because footballers are like birds in flight, and you never know where you’ll end up. As you were aware, I was being pursued by clubs like Portsmouth, Reading, Newcastle, Bolton and a few other clubs in the Premiership. But when I had the offer from Lyon, it was difficult to turn it down after my exploits at Rennes. Again, with Lyon, I had the opportunity to play in the UEFA Champions League whilst the clubs in England couldn’t guarantee me top-flight European football.
How would you assess your first season with Lyon especially against the backdrop that you were unfortunately plagued with injuries?
, it was worrying to be in and out of the squad as a result of injuries. Lyon signed me from Rennes to form a good partnership between Brazilian defender Cris and myself to marshal their defence. But as you are aware injuries hampered my performances for the team. I must admit however that I am fully recovered now and hopefully next season I would be at my usual best.
Do your think your injuries cost Lyon the title?
a way I could say it did affect our quest to retain the league title because Lyon never lost a league game anytime I featured. I can easily recollect losing in the French Cup against Lille and though I started the game, I came off injured and we eventually lost that game. But our coach has been very supportive and keeps giving me words of encouragement day in and day out. On a personal level, I was downhearted for not featuring prominently in most of our games last season as I wanted to repay the investment the club had made in me.
In spite of your injuries, you were able to feature in some of Lyon’s Champions League games. How was it like, being the first time you were featuring in such a prestigious tournament?
was a tournament that I had determined to help my former club Rennes qualify to participate in but we could only settle for the UEFA Cup. It wasn’t easy though my participation in Europe with Rennes had given me the necessary experience and exposure.
You had the chance to play against eventual winners, Barcelona. What run through your mind prior to the game when you knew you were going to face the likes of Messi, Eto’o, and Henry?
Playing against top teams like Barcelona is not easy for any club. For me I knew I was going to come up against some of the best players on the planet so I prepared adequately towards that game. The way Barcelona plays, it’s mostly difficult for any team to beat them. I remember when we played them at home in the first leg, even though we were leading 1-0 (match ended 1-1), we had our backs against the wall for most part of the game and it was simply a delight to watch them. They were simply awesome.
The FIFA Confederations Cup served as a dress-rehearsal for the World Cup in South Africa. Looking at the standard of play and the quality of teams and players on parade, do you think the Black Stars can hold their on against them?
Well, the upcoming World Cup finals in South Africa next year would not be an easy one; not for Ghana alone but for all the teams that would be participating. I believe Ghana can perform at that level as the hallmark of a good team is having a good bench which we have with all the youngsters coming through. With 9 points and 3 more games to go, we are more than determined to make it to South Africa 2010 and prove ourselves.
Players like yourself, Appiah, Muntari and Essien were present during the 2006 World Cup Finals in Germany. Having already had the feel of it, what would be the motivation to excel in South Africa?
long as we have not retired from the game and with all the support from the good people of Ghana, we will make this great nation of ours proud by making it two in a row in terms of participating in the World Cup. We the players who made it to the 2006 finals want to prove to the outside world that our performance in Germany wasn’t a flash in the pan. We want to be in South Africa to prove our worth and possibly better the performance of Germany 2006.
Looking at the recent Black Stars game against Sudan, we witnessed the fans of the home team throwing missiles onto the pitch. On a personal level, has the African game changed?
hasn’t changed that much though there is more room for improvement. It was surprising to see the home fans throwing the missiles onto the pitch though I think it was meant for their players to fight on. It was sad to note that I was slapped by one of the Sudanese players during the game. It was unfortunate to see such stuff still going on in the African game… it’s was just unbelievable.
With the African continent boasting of renowned players like yourself, Essien, Eto’o, Drogba etc who can match up to the likes of the Rooneys, the Ronaldos and the Messis, do you think an African team can win the World Cup on home soil?
I believe that to attain such a feat would need a lot of hard work, self belief and a good sense of motivation from the fans and the Football Association. Aside of that, self discipline and dedication from the players is also paramount. But anything is possible.
What should your fans expect from you next season John…
I want to take this opportunity to commend them for the wonderful support they showed me during my difficult moments with injuries. I really appreciate their efforts and want to assure them of giving my best anytime I am called to duty to play for the national team. I hope they also support all the other Black Stars players since we are all one happy family.
