Some players are not hardworking enough to be in our youth teams – Agyemang-Badu

Former Black Stars midfielder Emmanuel Agyemang-Badu says some of the current players in Ghana's youth teams are not working hard enough to grow their careers.

According to the U-20 World Cup winner, talent alone does not guarantee one’s place in the national team and being a successful footballer but said the current generation is blessed with luck.

“For some okay but for others I don’t think so. This generation is blessed with luck. If I played for Berekum Arsenal in Ghana and had to compete with a player who plays for Chelsea in England, it should tell you how hard working I was”, he told Saddick Adams.

“The dynamics of football have changed. There is flair, not too much hunger, when they begin to rise to stardom then they think that I all. Now they take pictures and videos anywhere and upload to their YouTube channels where an agent will see and connect with them, so it was difficult but I was hungrier”, he added.

Agyemang- Badu played in midfield when the Black Satellites won the U-20 World Cup in 2009 and was one of 11 locally-based players in a squad that had 10 foreign-based players.

The 32-year-old had a remarkable stint with the Black Stars, appearing in over 70 international matches and scoring 11 goals, including five AFCONs and one World Cup in Brazil in 2014.

LSN/KPE