Posted by 2007/2008 Ghana Premier League top scorer Eric Bekoe has made an interesting revelation on how “Monday Special” match at Kotobabi Swag park earned with the likes of Osei Kuffour, Oppong Weah etc. him a national team call up.
Eric Bekoe in 2003 was part of the final squad released by head coach Sellas Tetteh and tasked to qualify Ghana to the U-17 AFCON tournament in Swaziland. By then he was playing for a colts club called King Dogo Babies.
Unfortunately, Ghana were knocked out in the first round of the qualifiers by Kenya. Kenya fielded numerous over-age players.
Speaking in an interview monitored by Myfabulousonline.com, the former Kotoko striker revealed how his display on that Monday evening in the presence of the superstars earned him a national team call up.
“I was there and a guy came to me and said he has been sent by a man to come to the Kotobabi school park with my boots, I was a bit nervous but I followed him. When we got to the park, even getting onto the pitch side was hard, people from different places have gathered at the park coming to watch stars like George Oppong Weah, Samuel Osei Kuffuor, Augustine Arhinful, Yaw Preko etc,” Bekoe said in an interview with Television CK.
“These were stars I watched on TV and never thought I will get the chance to even see them in person. I got the chance to sit on the pitchside finally and I folded my arms watching how they were displaying on the pitch, I looked at the seniors who used to play before the stars and I felt very anxious”
“With just 10 minutes to end the game, I was called to stretch and join the game, I was highly strung to the extent that the jersey thrown to me by the player I was substituting fell on the pitch”
“I entered the pitch, we played for about three minutes and I had not even touched the ball, you could see that they were playing professional football, they were playing to football’s language which is the sign language”
“I had no option than to adapt to their style on the pitch, Nii Bannor, a player who was heavily tipped to replace Mohammed Polo (the player who did the milo advert) had a ball four minutes to regulation time, he crossed it to me and I controlled with my left thigh and I hit it straight into the bottom left corner and it the jubilation was massive”
“People came to the pitch because of the stars who came but I stole the show, my goal happened to be the equaliser for my side which had Oppong Weah, Osei Kuffuor and the likes”
“After the game, I was rushing to see Oppong Weah but fortunately he had also sent one guy to come and call me to his car, fortunately, and he gifted me his boot which I sent it to the national team”
“The few minutes I spent on the pitch earned me a national team call up. Sellas Tetteh was in attendance so right after the game and he called and shook hands with me and started asking me where I live and I told him my uncle is Sampson Odei who played for Hearts of Oak, in surprise asked who my mother was and I mentioned her name, fortunately, he was friends with my mother”
“He later told one Abu that I am a national team product and that was it”
“One day after training and my friends started congratulating me, I was confused because I had no idea what they were congratulating me for, one guy opened up to me that I’ve received national team call up and it been published in ‘Graphic,’ he concluded.
Eric Bekoe also went on to feature for the Black Stars in 2008.