How Ade Coker created famous but false 'shoeshine boy' story about Charles Taylor

Ghana Premier League legend Charles Taylor has opened up about the origin of the ‘shoeshine boy’ story that is often associated with him.

Taylor recounted that after impressing in some friendly matches for Great Olympics, the club made moves to sign him.

However, Great Olympics were unwilling to meet the financial demands of his manager, which generated some heated exchanges between Ade Coker, who was the board chairman of Great Olympics, and his manager.

During the negotiations, Ade Coker made a comment based purely on the assumption that Charles Taylor was a shoe shine boy.

Unfortunately for Charles Taylor, the Great Olympics fans present heard the story, and when he moved to their rivals, Accra Hearts of Oak, they used it as a weapon to destabilize him mentally during matches.

“When it was time for them to sign us, they took us to a pub. My manager then was demanding the equivalent of GH¢150, but Ade Coker wanted to pay only GH¢50. My manager disagreed and threatened to pull the plug on the deal.

A heated exchange ensued between them, and my manager asked that we leave the premises. Ade Coker then said, 'take him away, by now he is a shoe shine boy.'

He assumed that because most Ashantis come to Kumasi and engage in such trade, I would be one of them. Ade Coker is the one who created that story, and the supporters heard it. Ade Coker was the one who created that story about me,” he said.

Charles Taylor also opened up about how he sneaked out of the apartment of a football academy in Obuasi.

“When they realized in Sehwi that I was a good player, people started paying attention to me. The team belonged to the working union in the area, but once they realized my talent, they sent me to Obuasi. So I went to Obuasi to play with the likes of Nana Arhin-Duah.

“Life at the academy became boring for me, and also I didn’t have boots, so Nana Arhin-Duah gave me boots. One dawn, I threw my bag through the window, sneaked out, and went back to my hometown. When I got there, they were surprised, but I lied to them that we had been given permission to leave camp.”

EK