November 18, (THEWILL) – When Pele said an African team would someday win the World Cup, Nana Akufo-Addo, the president of Ghana, has claimed that the football legend “had Ghana in mind.”
Expectations are high at home that the 2010 quarter-finalists, the Black Stars of Ghana, will have another successful tournament as they depart for Qatar.
In the 1970s, the legendary Pele of Brazil predicted that an African team will win football’s greatest worldwide championship before the end of the century. That did not happen, as no African team reached the World Cup semifinals yet. This time around, Ghana enters the tournament as a long shot, and few anticipate Pele’s prophecy to come true in Qatar.
On November 24, Portugal, who should have superstar Cristiano Ronaldo in their ranks, will play for Portugal against Otto Addo’s team in the opening match for Group H.
Ahead of that opener, Akufo-Addo said: “A long time ago, the greatest footballer that’s ever lived, the Brazilian Pele, said that very soon an African country is going to lift that trophy, and I know that he had in mind Ghana. Let’s all together rally around the young men and the team and make sure we give them our maximum support.
About the Author
Jude Obafemi is a versatile senior Correspondent at THEWILL Newspapers, excelling in sourcing, researching, and delivering sports news stories for both print and digital publications.
