Andre Ayew helped calm my nerves on my World Cup debut – Gideon Mensah
In 2022, Gideon Mensah had the opportunity to represent Ghana at the World Cup, an experience which was made smoother by Andre Ayew.
Heading into the tournament, Baba Rahman was the first choice left back and played the friendly against Switzerland as well as the first game at the World Cup against Portugal.
After the Black Stars narrowly lost 3-2 in the opening group game, pressure mounted as the team needed a win against South Korea in the second game.
As a result, Otto Addo made changes and Mensah was handed his World Cup debut – a move that came as a surprise to the WAFA graduate.
In an interview with Flashscore, Mensah revealed his nerves ran very high ahead of kick-off given how momentous the occasion was.
“I remember during the warm-up, the captain Andre Ayew came to me,” Mensah recalled. “It was like head to head; his head was right in front of my forehead. He said, ‘Listen, you’ve been waiting for this. This is the moment where you need to show everybody’s watching you. You can’t make mistakes—you can’t let them down.’”
Those words resonated deeply with Mensah, providing him with the reassurance he needed before stepping onto such a huge stage to represent his country. “That was something that really helped me a lot,” he reflected. “After that speech, I forgot about everything else. Being on the field, I didn’t think about whoever was watching; I was just focused on the game.”
Mensah rose to the occasion, channelling every ounce of energy into his performance. The match unfolded dramatically, and thanks to his low cross leading to Mohammed Kudus’ winning goal, Ghana emerged victorious in a thrilling 3-2 scoreline.
Reflecting on his World Cup experience, Mensah expressed a desire to return to the World Cup in future with Ghana.
“To go to the next World Cup? Definitely! That’s one of the best experiences I’ve had in my career,” he said. “I’ve played in front of many fans and in big games against top clubs, but the World Cup is something every player wants to be part of. It’s a great feeling.”
Mensah’s hopes of playing at the next World Cup in the USA, Mexico and Canada received a boost after Ghana’s back-to-back wins in June against Mali and Central African Republic. The Black Stars are joint top of Group I in the qualifiers knowing that only top spot guarantees a spot at the Mundial.
