'Who is this kid' - Joe Laka's first reaction when he first saw Hearts, Kotoko cult-hero Joe Louis at SHS

Former Asante Kotoko midfielder, Joe Louis has narrated how his diminutive nature almost hindered his chances of becoming a professional footballer.

According to Louis, he faced challenges breaking into his Senior High School team because of his unique physique.

He said most people, including veteran sports journalist Joe Laka, who was at the time a sports teacher at Osei Kyeretwei Senior High School (OKESS) doubted his footballing qualities because of his diminutive nature.

He recounted a traumatic experience where he was kicked off the school team bus while heading for training because the sports master at the time felt he lacked the stature required of a footballer.

"When I went to OKESS, I was scared that I wasn't going to play much because of the players they had. So I decided not to train with them. It was Kwaku Wiafe (former Eleven Wise and Hasaacas player) who encouraged me to go to training and give it a shot '," he told Dan Kwaku Yeboah TV.

"One day, we were on the school bus heading to training when our sports master, Mr Akesse spotted me and told me to get off the bus because I was a little boy. He asked what I was going to do and Wiafe told him 'Let's get to the field, you will see'. I got scared and asked to be dropped off the bus," he added.

Joe Louis continued that his friend Wiafe came up with a plan to hide him in the bus the next day.

He said upon arrival for his first training, Joe Laka, who was on duty, quizzed Wiafe on bringing a kid to the training ground but Wiafe managed to convince Joe Laka to give him a chance.

"The next day, Wiafe hid me in the bus and the sports master didn't see me. So when we got to the field, they divided us into two teams. Joe Laka asked Wiafe 'Who is this kid?' and he told him 'When the game starts, you will know that he is older than all of them'."

"They told me to play the number 10 role, which is my favourite position. The other team had a tall defender, so when I got the ball, I dummied him, and scored and the students went wild. After training, our sports master came to me and said 'This is the type of kid we need to feed with milo and meat to help him grow fast and gain weight'. That's how I got into the OKESS first team," he added.

Joe Louis, after high school, went on to become a household name in the Ghana Premier League. He gained popularity during his days at Asante Kotoko where he won a couple of league titles.

He played for King Faisal, the Great Olympics and Hearts of Oak.

Watch Joe Louis talk about his early career via the below from the 10th minute



EE/EK