Former Black Stars captain, Asamoah Gyan has pleaded with players who completed nationality to play for Ghana to be ready to honor all call-ups after the 2022 World Cup.
Inaki Williams, England-born Tariq Lamptey, and Germany-born trio Patrick Pfeiffer, Stephan Ambrosius, and Ransford Yeboah have all completed their nationality to play for Ghana as announced the by Ghana Football Association in June.
The timing of their nationality switches has, however, divided opinion among Ghanaians, with some describing them as opportunistic.
However, Gyan, who remains the country’s all-time top goal scorer with 51 goals says while the new players are welcome, they must endeavor to stick around even after the World Cup.
“Sometimes we should forget about everything. Kevin-Prince Boateng when he came, it was a whole lot but he was able to deliver,” he said during the launch of the KGL U-17 inter-club champions league.
“Football-wise, those who have come in are great players, Tariq Lamptey and those guys are very good players and they can also put something into the national team.”
He added: “My advice to those guys is, we are here to support them but my question is what next?
“They should not come and play because of the world cup and afterward, they decide to decline subsequent invitations. Once you have naturalized for Ghana, you should be fully committed to the national team.
“After the [world cup], they should still be available because this is a national team which does not engage in one tournament,” he added.
Meanwhile, Brighton and Hove Albion right back Tariq Lamptey, Southampton FC’s Mohammed Salisu, Stephan Ambrosius of Karlsruher SC, and Inaki Williams who plays for Spanish La Liga side Athletic Bilbao are all expected to make their debut against Brazil in an international friendly game scheduled to be played in France later this month.
The 36-year-old was a regular fixture in the Black Stars for almost two decades, having made his international debut in 2003.
He was a member of Ghana’s squad that qualified the country for the 2006 World Cup in Germany and subsequently played in the 2010 and 2014 Mundial in South Africa and Brazil respectively.