Former Fulham and West Ham United defender John Paintsil has lavished praises on Stephen Appiah for the role he played for Ghana during the 2010 FIFA World Cup in South Africa.
Appiah led Ghana to her first World Cup appearance in Germany in 2006 and reached the Last 16.
However, the former Juventus midfielder was plighted with injuries ahead of the 2010 edition and was dropped to the bench by coach Milovan Rajevac.
Despite being on the bench, Appiah played a key role in helping the team reach the quarter-finals of the competitions.
"In our captain Stephen Appiah, we had a very instrumental leader," Paintsil told Goal. "He was a senior figure, and was motivating all of us.
"He played a really good role, and even though he was coming [into games] from the bench, he didn’t show any sign that looked like he was a bit angry or upset or disappointed not to be starting as team captain."
"[Appiah] was always there, talking to us, and telling us to do well,” Paintsil continued, "and when he got his [playing] time, 10 minutes, 15 minutes, 20 minutes, he was the best.
"This is the kind of leader you can always count on, he could have just come and said: ‘I was captain in 2006 but now I’m not starting,’ but he didn’t say such a thing.
"He was there, behaved himself as a leader, carried himself as a captain, and was also a team player, so it was great working with him and playing with him."
Appiah made 67 appearances and scored 14 goals for the senior team of Ghana, the Black Stars.