Augustine Arhinful endorses playing abroad but warns players to be well prepared

Former Ghana international Augustine Arhinful has endorsed the desire of young players to play abroad, arguing thatit adds a lot to improving one’s career.

Citing his own career as an example, Arhinful believes playing abroad has numerous positives that can improve a footballer’s life both on and off the pitch.

After enjoying a short but successful stint at AshGold (then Obuasi Goldfields), the former U-20 star earned a transfer to German Bundesliga outfit Borussia Dortmund in late 1993. He subsequently had stints with clubs in Switzerland, Italy and Turkey.

Arhinful in an interview with Accra based radio station Joy FM said during their playing days in the local league, they(local players) always had that dream of playing abroad.

He explained that the lure of making more money, among others, motivated this dream.

He revealed the instance where he bought a home for his parents after signing his deal.

“Those of us locally had seen that we go and play professional football to make ends meet to help the family, the extended family”

“I remember my first contract I signed with Dortmund, I bought my parents a house in Takoradi.

Arhinful however stressed that players must be ready for what playing abroad entails. He noted that its not all that rosy and one must be ready to overcome all these challenges.

“And so these are the motivations that one has to look at. But you have to be ready. Professional football is not like what we experience here. You really have to be ready for the task that you’ve set for yourself going forward”, he noted.