Mohammed Kudus – The face of the new era of the Black Stars

The Black stars of Ghana is still very much adored by a lot of Ghanaians. Going into the world cup in Qatar, there wasn’t a lot of hope that they were going to do well but they did well enough to show character and potential for the future.

Two losses, a win, and an early exit from the Group stages sound underwhelming but the Blacks Stars impressed me a lot. The second group game against South Korea, where we walked away with a 3-2 win was the best performance of the lot.

A very accomplished and exciting performance by the whole team but the standout performer was Mohammed Kudus, whose brace helped Ghana win the game for our only 3 points of the tournament.

Mohammed Kudus, a midfielder by trade plays in the Eredivisie for Ajax. He joined the Eredivisie giants in the summer of 2020 with the then-head coach Erik ten Hag, current coach of Manchester united calling Kudus a player with ‘incredible potential. Huge praise from a very respectable manager.

The 2022/2023 season, however, is turning out to be Kudus’ best season in his career so far.

In 5 league starts and 9 substitute appearances, he has notched 5 goals already, but it is on the biggest stages that Kudus comes alive.

He has 4 goals and 2 assists in this year’s Champions League already plus a further 2 goals in the 2022 World cup currently ongoing in Qatar.

Already impressing in the Champions League, his impact at this World Cup should be no surprise. Mohammed Kudus stood out as Ghana's star player at the World Cup.

His performances have already stirred up a lot of interest from big clubs in Europe including the likes of Barcelona, Chelsea, and Dortmund amongst others. This shows the kind of impact he’s had and the potential there for him to do even more exploits in the future.

Even though Ghana exited the competition early, this squad’s journey is far from over. As one of the youngest squads at the tournament, it is the ideal opportunity for squad building for subsequent tourneys; the Afcon in 2024 and the next World Cup in 2026 and there’s no one better to be the face than him.

Ghana has a new hero and his name is Mohammed Kudus. From Tony Yeboah and Abedi Pele to Michael Essien and Asamoah Gyan, this country has had its heroes. Right now, at just 22, Kudus is that player.

Whereas Otto Addo not surprisingly stepped down as head coach of the team, any new coach who is appointed should focus on making Kudus an integral part of his team.

In building for the future, the coach has to find someone to build the team around who he could trust and it is Kudus. Technically secure in possession, very good ball striking, hard work on and off the ball, goal threat, Kudus has it all.

The ability to play off a striker, a false 9, or even as an inverted winger shows flexibility and adaptability. One thing that stands out when he steps onto the pitch is his confidence. He doesn’t shy away from competition; he goes on the field and shows the world Kudus.

He has confidence in his ability and wants the world to see. In a friendly game against Brazil in September before heading off to the world cup, Kudus got into a tasty head-to-head with Neymar.

He mentioned after the game that there was no hate between the two players. He said, “Neymar was defending his country and I was defending mine.” "I wasn’t about to let him push me around. What makes him better, for now, is that he has achieved a lot.” "I’ll get there soon."

That is the kind of belief and conviction he has in his ability; the attitude of someone who wants to go all the way to achieve greatness. This is the kind of spirit and energy needed in the team, a player who can stand out and push teammates to their absolute best as well.

The current players in the Black Stars have the talent to make the nation proud again, the players are good enough to do as well as we did in the 2010 world cup in South Africa; being the 3rd African country to get to the Quarterfinals.

In my humble opinion, Mohammed Kudus is the man to carry the mantle of taking the Black Stars forward. From his performances so far, he seems to relish being the star of the team so let’s push him, motivate him and give him the right guidance to help make the Black Stars of Ghana fearful again.