“Kudus is living the dream,” these are the words of Ghanaian celebrated artiste, Mohammed Awudu who painted a mural in dedication to the Black Stars player, Mohammed Kudus.
From growing up in Nima, one of the popular slums in Ghana to playing at the World Cup and Champions League, the story of Mohammed Kudus has been an inspiration to his peers and young ones in his community.
Though Moh Awudu has always been a fan of the young footballer, his biggest inspiration to honour Kudus came when the player bagged two goals for Ghana in the game against South Korea.
“After the game, I got inspired and said let me just do this and we are here. This is something money cannot buy,” Moh Awudu told GhanaWeb.
According to him, Kudus’ breakthrough has become a source of motivation for many and is gradually changing the wrong perceptions about Nima.
For a community which is blessed with talent, Moh Awudu said that “I always tell people that if you can’t go to school you have to learn the skills, if you can’t be a footballer like Kudus, just learn the skills that are the way forward.”
Although there are many talented footballers and gifted people in Nima, Moh Awudu noted that the biggest challenge has to do with discipline and the drive to move out of their comfort zone.
“This guy has been one of the discipline guys who believe in moving out of their comfort zone and that is what he is. We have better players in Zongo but lack of discipline killed their career but Kudus is not arrogant. He is like an inspiration to the youth out here,” he said.
According to him “Kudus is living the dream and I think I’m also living the dream” because they never gave up against all the odds against them and this has even inspired him to “paint more people next year.”