By Ghana defender Gideon Mensah has shared that Andre Ayew played a crucial role in helping him settle into his first World Cup match.
In 2022, Mensah had the opportunity to represent the Black Stars at the tournament, marking Ghana’s return to the World Cup after missing the 2018 edition.
Heading into the competition, Abdul Baba Rahman was Ghana’s first-choice left-back, having played in the friendly against Switzerland and the opening game of the World Cup against Portugal.
Mensah started Ghana’s second match against South Korea, which saw Otto Addo’s side secure a narrow 3-2 victory in Qatar. The defender was brought in after mounting pressure on Addo to make changes to his lineup.
For the Auxerre player, earning a starting spot against South Korea came as a surprise.
In an interview with Flashscore, Mensah admitted that his nerves were high ahead of kick-off, given the significance of the occasion.
“I remember during the warm-up, the captain Andre Ayew came to me,” he 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.’”
“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 stepped up to the challenge and played a pivotal role in Ghana’s victory over South Korea. His precise low cross set up Mohammed Kudus’ winning goal, helping Ghana secure a thrilling 3-2 win.
Mensah has been part of the national team since November 2019.
