World Cup 2014: Why Owu deserves Ghana return

Remember George Owu?

That incredible goalkeeper whose brilliance for the Black Stars throughout a daunting away game in South Africa helped in no small way to push Ghana's ultimately successful quest for a ticket to the 2006 World Cup? The one nicknamed 'Kigali' for another round of top goalkeeping while on national assignment in Rwanda so many years ago?

Remember him?

Good old Owu?

Well, folks, he's back!

Back doing what he does best, excelling at an art his family's surname would always be associated with (George's elder sibling Ben was also a national goalkeeper) and, even more crucially, staking a place in Ghana's squad for the 2014 Fifa World Cup. Or so 31-year-old Owu would have us believe.

“I know I can help if given the opportunity. It would be wonderful after all I have been through to get back to the national level,” he told Accra-based Happy FM, before adding rather ambitiously: “We are all Ghanaians and as players we all dream of playing at the World Cup.”

Owu certainly has the form to back the words up, hasn't he? The former Ashantigold custodian has been as brilliant as any at his trade on the domestic front this season.

He has been at the fore of the successful campaign currently being enjoyed by Hasaacas, literally leading the team from behind. Hasmal's return to Ghana's elite division for 2013-14 has yielded handsome returns, with the club - presently placed fourth on the table- clinging to top-four aspirations with just six matchdays to go. The Sekondi giants have made similar strides in the premier domestic cup competition, the MTN FA Cup, in which they advanced as far as the last eight before being knocked out by Inter Allies this weekend.

In achieving all these, experienced Owu, as the side's last line of defence, has played no mean role. Hasaacas' concession rate in the league of just over a goal per game (21 in 24) is largely credited to Owu's agility and reflexes which, as has been obvious from his performances thus far, have not dulled with age.

Underrated as goalkeepers are, Owu's lot has probably been worse than most. A spell in Egypt with Al-Masry after the 2006 World Cup all but eliminated him from Ghanaian consciousness, while the domineering presence of Sammy Adjei and later Richard Kingson at national level relegated him to the status of a mere squad member during the years (between 2003 and 2009) when he regularly earned call-ups to the Black Stars.

Still, for a man who was good enough to feature in a league-winning Asante Kotoko side over a decade ago and who, only as recently as 2010, was considered as a prospective understudy for Heulerho Gomes while Harry Redknapp was in charge at Tottenham Hotspur, not much more could be said to argue Owu's case for one more shot at serving his country. His track record speaks volumes. Ahead of this year's World Cup, Owu's chances of a return seem ripe. Forget the perceived congestion of candidates lining up for the No.1 role in Brazil; Fatau Dauda glides on thin ice with highly infrequent opportunities at Orlando Pirates, Stephen Adams' call-up for the Montenegro friendly last month could easily pass for a short-lived nod to public opinion, South Africa-based Daniel Adjei's youthfulness probably still counts against him, while Strømsgodset's Adam Kwarasey struggles to shed doubts years after switching allegiance from Norway, his land of birth.

Amidst all the uncertainty, Owu could just barge in and steal one of the goalkeeping slots out of the blue. Proven, consistent, and mature, he arguably is what the rest are not. Should his appeals - in word and deed - be noticed by the Stars' technical handlers, Owu could savour a second bite at a cherry he first bit during Ghana's maiden World Cup campaign in 2006 where he was resigned to being third choice.

This time, all things being equal, the experience could prove much more fulfilling.