Richard Kingson had a bad year at club level. A combination of injuries and loss of form meant that he never kept the post even once for Wigan throughout the year. And while he did quite well in the African Cup of Nations, a very poor performance against the Dutch in Black Stars’ pre-world cup trial match meant that a few Ghanaians had began to question his inclusion in the squad, let alone the starting line up. I must admit I was guilty as well of this misconception. But cometh the hour cometh the man. Form is one thing, but the ability of the human spirit to transcend barriers and expectations cannot be underestimated. From his closed eyes during the national anthem to his now famous prayer on his knees in the goal post prior to kick off, invoking spirits of the most high to lead and guide him, Kingston remains an epitome of determination and bravado and all that the Black Stars of Ghana have come to represent.

And in the match against the Americans, he stood valiantly between the Black Stars and defeat. The intense determination on his face as he lounged into tackles, jumped to punch balls away, and dived to make saves, was a sight to behold. So who cares about club form? When his nation calls, Kingston is always there and ready, and I know, after this world cup, that his name will be written in gold, as a reminder to generations yet unborn, that there once was a goalkeeper, who loved Ghana above all else.

Cometh the hour cometh the man. Ghanaians love to hate Asamoah Gyan. But my opinion of the player transformed radically following his goal against the Americans. It was not just the fact that he scored, but the manner of it. When the ball was put through to him, he violently collided with the American defender and a lesser man would have gone down with a frown on his face and raised his hands up to the referee for a penalty. Not Asamoah Gyan. With the kind of determination that often brings a tear to one’s eyes, he steadied himself, managed to summon something from deep within, and unleash a stunner past Tim Howard. And this was in extra time when his legs must have been weary and a lackadaisical attitude may have easily been forgiven. Asamoah, Ghana is proud of you.

The transformation in Andre Ayew in the two years between the 2008 African Cup of Nations and this world cup should be a lesson to our sports administrators-It does not pay to cheat in junior competitions with over-aged players. After all, what does Ghana need under-aged world titles for? We have proven we can win them and that is enough. Ayew has shown that if you take a truly talented, proper 16 year old Ghanaian footballer and put them through the right training programmes, the improvement in their performance within a few years would be immeasurable. When average twenty five year olds parade as brilliant seventeen year olds, then the result is different. Andre, may God bless you for your dedication and selflessness.

Kevin Prince Boateng has played for Germany at all youth levels and he is only twenty three. He chose to play for Ghana. If he was thirty, one would have wondered if it was merely a desperate attempt to get to play in the world cup before his carrier was over. But at twenty three, he could have bid his time till he was called into the German team. He chose to play for Ghana. All we can say is, welcome home Prince. Ghana embraces you. You will never regret this decision. Cometh the hour cometh the man. When we needed somebody to rise up and score our first goal in open play to boost our confidence, the prince was there. Kwadwo Asamoah and Annan have quietly gone about their business and the defence, marshalled by John Mensah have been excellent. Ghana doffs her hat for all our valiant players. When England realized they were playing Germany in the second round, they were disappointed that they had not won their group and faced Ghana instead. Thanks to your performance, the tune has changed. Now England is saying, maybe, it was better to play Germany, whose style they are familiar with.

God bless you.

lexeve@live.com