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The representative of Ghana and the first team member of Ajax Amsterdam, Mohammed Kudus, is quite confident before the World Cup in Qatar. Speaking to the media, he revealed that he does not consider himself to have worse footballing qualities than Brazilian superstar Neymar.
Brazil beat Ghana in a friendly in Le Havre in September, and the two players exchanged fiery words. “He was defending his country and I was defending mine. I wasn’t about to let him push me around. What makes him better, for now, is that he has achieved a lot,” he says.
Then, with fire in those eyes, he gives a promise: “I’ll get there soon”. “We could meet again, yeah?” he asks. “Me and Neymar, part two. I’m sure he would enjoy it”. Kudus (22 years old, 177 cm) grew up in the football academy "Right to Dream" in Accra, from 2018 to 2020 he was a member of the Danish Nordsjaelland.
In the last two years, he has been playing for Ajax, and for the national team of his country, he has played 18 games and scored five goals.
Two man-of-the-match award
In six Champions League games, he won two man-of-the-match awards and scored four goals, including one at Anfield – “I loved the clanging sound of the ball hitting the bar before it went in” – plus five league goals is surely a good return for someone who is not even a striker.
“That’s the point. I’m playing and scoring and I am helping my team and it’s great. But I am happiest when I am creating things for the team”. “When I play centrally, a lot of balls go through me and my job is to make sure we transition well,” he says.
“The intention is to create chances and help the team and as creative players you are allowed to lose balls and help the team,” he says. “I don’t see any player in the [national] team who plays the way I do, because we have different types of players.
“If I’m the one who has [to] try those tricks to create something and I lose the ball 10 times, but if that one time it is a goal, then so be it. My coach has never told me he doesn’t like my style of play or that I’m holding on to the ball too much.
It always looks bad until it goes well, then you’re a genius”. Ghana will debut at the World Cup on Thursday at 5:00 p.m., and will play against the big favorite – Portugal.