Being prepared to go that extra mile: interview with Mohammed Abu
February 2012
Graduate, Mohammed Abu, returned to the Academy this weekend having been part of the Ghana National Team competing in the Africa Cup of Nations. Ghana ended the tournament in fourth position, and although disappointed not to reach the final, Abu had a great experience. RtD student, E Twumasi, interviewed Abu:
Twumasi: What did it mean to you to be selected to represent your country at the Africa Cup of Nations?
Abu:
It was a dream for me to play for my nation - I have been working towards it for a long time and then all of a sudden I qualified for this tournament. It was a great feeling - I was so happy and excited to represent my nation.
Twumasi: What was the biggest lesson that you learnt from the tournament?
Abu:
Since I was young, I have been following the world class players, like Muntari, and to be alongside them at the tournament was a great feeling. I learnt how they carry themselves, how they speak, how they prepare and for me this was the biggest lesson.
Twumasi: How did you feel when Ghana lost in the semi-finals?
Abu:
It was not easy because everybody was looking for us to win the trophy and we were working hard to reach this. Through the group stages and the quarter finals we played well and we always had the confidence that we could win. But in football anything can happen. It was a big pity and very sad that we didn’t win but there are a lot of things ahead of us so we will continue to work hard and get further opportunities to play for our nation.
Twumasi: What characteristics do you think have helped you in your football career to get to where you are today?
Abu:
I joined the Right to Dream Academy in 2004 and at that point my lifestyle changed. I learnt how to work hard and was supported by everyone at RtD. From that moment, I didn’t want to disgrace them. I wanted to reach a place in my career where people knew I was from RtD and to make them proud. All the time I work hard – I do my own personal training and put all my effort into training on the pitch. I have taken things very seriously to get to where I am today but I am still learning. I still want to get to the top. So I would say the key characteristics are hard work, attitude and being prepared to go that extra mile.
Twumasi: What is your next goal?
Abu:
Last year I was playing with a team in Norway and this year I have had an offer from Frankfurt in Germany. My goal is to play well, to show them who I am and to demonstrate that I can go to the next level. My goal is to give everything to show them that I deserve this opportunity.
Twumasi: What advice would you give to all those who dream of representing their country at football?
Abu:
It is a good feeling to play for your nation and to make your family and friends proud but it’s not easy to get to the top. If you want to get there you need to be determined and focused, to work harder than anyone else.
Our students are also doing well at the junior level with Yeboah and Senior both receiving invitations to train with the Ghana National Under 17 Squad. 6 of our Academy students have just returned from a trip to Abu Dhabi where they were invited to be a part of the Manchester City Academy tour.