John Paintsil: Why I scored so many own goals at Fulham

The 38-year-old lined up for the Cottagers from 2008 to 2011, having joined from fellow Premier League side West Ham United.

However, his spell with Fulham did not go according to plan, as he struggled for consistent game time.

Paintsil also endured a frustrating time during his last season with the club, with many fans remembering him for his own goals rather than his abilities as a defender.

John Paintsil scored lots of own goals during his final season with Fulham Pulse Ghana

Such was the magnitude of his unsuccessful spell that the right-back scored four own goals within a month during his final season at Fulham.

Explaining the reason for his repetitive blunders, the Ghanaian 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 sort out his contractual issues.

“When I joined Fulham in 2008 I was supposed to seal a four-year permanent deal with them but unfortunately for me, Roy Hodgson who brought me to the club left immediately after the 2010 World Cup," Paintsil told Accra-based Kasapa FM.

"I had to lift up my game to catch the eye and attention of the new manager Mark Hughes. I remember my first day at training after the World Cup, I confronted Mark Hughes about my contract and to find out whether he had plans for me.

"He told me to give him two weeks to make a decision. Many days and months passed but he was still procrastinating and this was causing me a severe despondency and dejection.”

The former Ghana international added: “In fact I lost my mental strength and I began to score own goals. In one 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.

"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.