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Former Ghanaian and Juventus midfielder Stephen Appiah has stated that he is in no rush to achieve his dream of coaching the national team.
Until recently, the Black Stars technical coordinator, the 39-year-old man has been working on his training badges to realize his ultimate ambition.
He hung up his boots in 2015, a year after helping Ghana reach the World Cup quarterfinals.
“It’s always good to start from somewhere,” Appiah said, as Footballmadeinghana reported.
“I don’t rush to train the high-level national team, I have to get the experience [first].
“So to get the experience from somewhere, why not join Accra Hearts of Oak? I will learn with the Hearts of Oak coach.
“And if I have the opportunity to handle the [Ghana] U17, that’s where I would [like to] start from. “
During his playing days, Appiah progressed from performing for local giants Hearts of Oak to lining up for Italian clubs Udinese, Parma, Brescia and Juventus.
He was also on the Bologna and Cesena books in Serie A after a three-year stay with Fenerbahce in Turkey.
His last club as a player was the Serbian side Vojvodina.
“I had a completely different plan as to what career I could pursue when I retire from active soccer,” Appiah told Fox FM in 2017.
“I remember three years ago when [former Chelsea and Ghana midfielder] Michael Essien and my other playmates in Europe urged me to train.
“ They motivated me by suggesting that, because of the way I have the utmost respect for my teammates, it would be prudent for me to become a coach, and also judging by the knowledge I have gained on and off the field as a player. They were sure that I will succeed.
So I decided to reflect on that and came to the conclusion that I had to follow my training course.
“I have already registered for the course and very soon, I will acquire my certificate, which I hope to work with in the near future.”
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Appiah was the captain of Ghana when Black Stars appeared in their first World Cup tournament in 2006, and also played in South Africa 2010 four years later.
Having retired from the Black Stars later in 2010, the former Fenerbahce man was a member of the Ghana team for the 2014 World Cup as a non-player.
In 2017, he was appointed technical coordinator for Black Stars, a role he held until December of last year.
