Captain of the national under-17 team of Ghana, the Black Starlets, Eric Ayiah says the team can go all the way to lift the FIFA U-17 world Cup in India.
Ghana are through to the round of 16 at the World Cup where they face fellow Africans Niger. Having won the competition twice, with the last being 22 years ago, the Captain believes it was time to lift the flag of Ghana high.
“We’ve got more than one objective here,” said the Black Starlets skipper. “We’ve achieved the first and now we’re going after the rest. We need to make it to the final and try and win the title,” he told Fifa.com.
“I haven’t seen any of the matches from when Ghana won the title in 1991 and 1995, but I have read about them. We want to regain the trophy and raise our country’s flag high,” he added.
The Charity stars striker who was speaking to FIFA.com revealed the reason behind his number six jersey.
With a lot of strikers going for the typical number 9 or 10 jersey, the 17 year old indicated his favourite jersey number 6 comes with huge importance to him as it signifies his birthday and the country’s Independence day.
“It comes as a surprise to everyone, but I like the number because it’s a reminder of two dates that are important to me: my birthday (6 March 2000) and my country’s Independence Day (which also happens to be 6 March), he reiterated.
“I’ve loved the number since I was a child and I’ve never worn any other. I’ve kept it wherever I’ve played.”
A lot of young footballers have ambitions of playing in Europe, and Ayiah having been listed in the 60 best young players by the Guardian news outlet, the forward is looking ahead to meeting the expectations of European scouts hence getting a good deal to fulfill his dream of playing in Europe.
“All the players dream of playing in Europe. We need to show our potential and work as a team, so that we can each get the rewards we deserve,” he said.
The 17 year old did not hide his admiration for World Footballer of the year, Cristiano Ronaldo insisting the Portuguese inspires him a lot.
“I’m a Cristiano Ronaldo fan. He’s the complete package and he works really hard in training to improve his game. He does some amazing things in matches. I hope I can follow in his footsteps.”
Ayiah and his teammates will line up against Niger on Wednesday in the round of 16 with their eyes on a quarter final berth.
By Lukman Evergreen Mumin