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I nearly quit football after scoring 4 own goals in a month – John Paintsil

Former Ghana defender John Paintsil says he wanted to prematurely retire after scoring four own goals in a month during his time with Premier League side Fulham.

I nearly quit football after scoring 4 own goals in a month – John Paintsil

Paintsil played for the Cottagers from 2008 to 2011, having joined from fellow Premier League side West Ham United.

Despite the fanfare that surrounded his move, the right-back struggled for consistent game time.

The Ghanaian’s frustrating spell at Fulham culminated in him scoring four own goals within a month during his final season at the club.

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Explaining the reason for his repetitive blunders, Paintsil said he lost focus after the club replaced manager Roy Hodgson with Mark Hughes.

According to him, he became despondent and dejected when the new manager failed to give him the needed assurance and his contractual issues were also shrouded in confusion.

Paintsil said that moment was one of the toughest in his career, adding that it nearly led him into premature retirement.

“In fact, I lost my mental strength and I began to score own goals. In one of those moments I scored four own goals in a month and this is unusual of me and this even got me thinking about retiring from the game,” he told Accra-based Kasapa FM.

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“I believe I retired prematurely from football because of what I experienced at Fulham under Mark Hughes.”

Paintsil made 89 appearances for Ghana and represented the country at two World Cups.

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