"One day I will be a priest" - Kufuor

Bayern Munich's Ghanaian defender Sammy Kuffour has told the BBC of his dream to become a priest when he retires.

Kuffour come from a devoutly religious family and has never shied away from making his views explicit.

Now he hopes that his success will inspire people to find the same things in Christianity as he has.

"Through me people come to know God," Kuffour told the BBC World Service's Heart and Soul programme.

"One day I will be a priest.

"Maybe God knows me, God wants me to be in this direction so that people can know Him.

"I surely believe that one day, I will stand in front of thousands of people and share the word of God with them."

Family tradition

Kuffour added that he believed it was God who had enabled him to become one of the most successful Africans ever to play in Europe.

"Everything that is impossible in my life - it is God who made it possible," he stated.

"Everything that I ask from God he does for me, so I'm glad to be on the side of the Lord."

He added his background, particularly his mother had given him strong belief in himself.

"My tradition in Ghana is of a very strong people - everyone knows that Ashanti people are very confident people, they are very proud.

"Our family used to have a small television, and my mum sold it to give me the money to buy a pair of shoes.

"After two weeks, we had a big game against Sierra Leone - my first international game for the Under-17s.

"My mum told my sister that "Sammy's going to make a goal today," and with God's help I made a goal.

"We got a 50,000 bonus for each player, and I gave 25,000 to my mum to replace the TV."

Acceptance

Since his move to Germany's Bayern Munich, Kuffour has become established in the back line of one of the most feared sides in the world.

In 2001 they won the European Cup and the World Club Championship, and Kuffour was named BBC African Footballer of the Year.

At first Kuffour's team-mates were astonished at the strength of Kuffour's beliefs - but now they are accepted, as much a part of Bayern's success as anything else.

"When I first came here, no African player had been here before," he said.

"We had a game and in the dressing room I was relaxed and praying, but they didn't seem to understand me.

"After the game they asked me what I was doing and I just I said "I'm praying to God".

"All the time I get good success, and now they believe in me."