The Ghanaian footballer playing abroad may be earning huge sums of money from salaries, bonuses or endorsement deals, making him the envy of many and the breadwinner of a lot.
But there is a silent aspect of their lives that is hidden from all – their private lives.
Imagine an 18-year old footballer from Wa, trekking all the way to Accra through to Lisbon to the open gates of Switzerland or the Netherlands to start a new life.
Just visualise how the feeling is like when you arrive at the Kwame Nkrumah Circle for the first time from your village, knowing no one and having no one to speak to.
It becomes more worrying when you can’t speak the language of the people close to you – a real dilemma of a young ambitious footballer.
Atsu reveals how challenging it was for him, resorting to staying indoors for more than a year before he could interact with the players.
“I couldn’t speak their language and I had no one to speak to. So after training of games, I just go inside my room and lick myself there.
“I was not speaking to anyone, and they felt I am anti-social. But later they understood me,” he told football made in Ghana
“It was really challenging for me in Portugal. I didn’t know anyone there. The food was alien but I had to eat and get used to it,” he added.
Other Ghanaian footballer are faced with worse, and this appears the real experience of most African footballers plying their trade in Europe.
Just imagine being used to Tuo Zaafi and Ayoyo Soup, or Fufu and Light Soup, but here you are, confronted with sea food spaghetti or frog limbs or the French vegetarian pizza.
Just imaginet culture shock and how long it will take the footballer to adjust.
There comes the weather, a difficult aspect of the whole situation.
You are used to an average temperature of 26°C but you are confronted with 0° or even -5°C or even worse.
It takes a strong personality with a determined mindset to adopt and stay, just to make money and be a breadwinner.
But the worse is perhaps yet to come.
You play in a club that is dominated by home-based Europeans with you alone being the expatriate in there.
Instructions are through the local language, tactics and strategies are explain in the same language.
But here you are, as green as a young virgin, watching sheepishly without comprehension.
Imagine how long it will take the young footballer from Kpaliwogor to survive such an environment.
Wait a minute, racism and frustrations from coaches make it worse when you are the best in the team but you are treated like a misfit.
That is where the real deal comes in – who do you speak to?
The footballer lives in a nice mansion, 3 or 4 bedroom apartment alone and after going through all these frustrations, must stay alone and deal with the situation alone.
You will now appreciate why many African footballers suffer high rates of depression.
But that’s even not over.
Despite all these, friends and family members will be expecting the usual dollars or euros to drop at the end of the month regardless of whatever is happening.
You will have a better appreciation of why many African footballers take to clubing, womanizing and becoming addicted to music.
When there is a national team assignment and a player is invited, the excitement is amazing. You need to be a footballer to experience that feeling.
The Ghanaian/African footballer is really leading a lonely life abroad.
