Ghana captain Andre Ayew has assured the team will work hard to make the country proud at the 2022 Fifa World Cup in Qatar.
The 32-year-old – who is making his third appearance at the global tournament – believes there is quality in the Black Stars set-up to make an impression.
Speaking to Fifa+, the most-capped international said: “We’ll go out there to do our best for Ghana and make the country proud.”
“The whole team has to come together, work hard and give our best. I think each of the players has what it takes to make their country proud on this world stage.”
Making their fourth World Cup appearance, Ghana will compete in Group H against Portugal, South Korea and Uruguay who controversially ended the Black Stars’ fairytale at the quarterfinals stage in 2010.
But Ayew will not be drawn into revenge talks as he urges focus on making Ghana proud by going all the way.
“Football’s not about taking revenge,” the Al Sadd player retorted.
“We simply want to win and make our country proud. It will be our last group game, so I just hope whatever result we get is enough to make it through to the next round.
“We have to focus on the here and now – what happened before is irrelevant today. We have to do our best to make the continent proud, because playing in the World Cup is actually for the whole of Africa, not just Ghana alone. And that’s really all we intend to focus on.
How much support do you think Ghana will have in the stadiums?
“I think it will be off the scale. I think we’ll see a lot of Ghanaians in Qatar to support us and watch the games, but I also know how much the matches mean to them. I was in Ghana in 2006, the year after I joined the national team. I know what it means for the nation. The guys back home drive around like crazy and honk their horns. I share the vibe, both as a supporter and a player.”
You also face Portugal and Korea Republic in your group. How challenging will that be?
“Portugal are up there among the favourites and their quality stands out. Not to mention having one of the best players in the world in Cristiano Ronaldo. It promises to be a momentous occasion and we have to live up to what people expect. We will fight and give our all on the pitch. Korea Republic also have a very strong and solid team, who all know each other well. It’s a very tough group. I think the teams are more or less on a par, apart from Portugal, who are favourites.”
The Black Stars take on Cristiano’s Portugal in their opening match on Thursday, November 24 at Stadium 974
