Youngster explains why he chose Germany over Ghana

pulse-ghana admin

July 18, 2017 10:55 AM

The Confederations Cup winner, who is of Ghanaian descent, has opened up on why he opted to play for the German national team.

Germany international Benjamin Henrichs says the Ghana Football Association (GFA)’s failure to approach him left him with no other choice than to choose to play for the world champions.

The 20-year-old made his international bow for Germany in November 2016, when Joachim Loew’s side defeated San Marino 8-0.

The full-back’s impressive performances for Bayern Leverkusen in the Bundesliga earned him a call-up into Germany’s team for the 2017 Confederations Cup, and he made two appearances as Die Mannschaft beat Chile 1-0 in the final to lift the trophy.

The youngster is currently back in Ghana to visit his family, and has now opened up on why he chose to the world champions over Ghana.

“Germany asked me at the age of 14 to play for their under-15 national team and I didn’t hear anything from Ghana until now,” Henrichs said in an interview with Atinka TV.

“Actually, I thought about it [playing for Ghana], maybe at the beginning, because I saw players like [Michael] Essien playing for Ghana [and] because they were like idols for me.

“But they [Ghana] never asked and I didn’t think about it anymore. So, when Germany asked, it was clear that I would play for Germany.”

The Tottenham Hotspurs target also revealed that his mum actually wanted to see him represent the West Africans, adding that he was initially undecided about which country to play for when he started his football career.

“I was just playing football at the beginning, so at the age of 11, 12, I didn’t think about playing for Germany or Ghana.

“Then Germany asked me and why should I say no when this was the only offer I got. That’s why I chose Germany.

“My mum wanted me to play for Ghana but I think she’s not sad that I’m playing for Germany now. I think she’s still happy.”

Henrichs was born to a German father and a Ghanaian mother, and has so far been capped three times at senior level by the world champions.

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pulse-ghana admin