Sammy Adjei has expressed profound gratitude to his former Accra Hearts of Oak teammates, Eben Dida and James Nanor, crediting them as the pillars behind his success as one of Ghana’s most celebrated goalkeepers.
Mr. Adjei said his former colleagues were instrumental to his greatness at Hearts of Oak, helping him cement his status at the club and later in the national team.
In an exclusive interview with Darius Osei Ember on Angel TV, the former Black Stars shot-stopper emphasized that he is forever indebted to the retired duo, describing them as more than teammates.
“I always give thanks to Eben Dida and James Nanorh for my goalkeeping heroics because if I don’t acknowledge them, I would have been ungrateful. When we are going for matches, they’ll approach me and tell me that this is your time, go and do it.
“They will give me the confidence, support, and tell me to go and keep the goal post. So Eben Dida and James Nanorh impacted me significantly in my goalkeeping career,” Sammy Adjei noted in his account.
Further recounting how supportive Nanor and Dida had been, Adjei, popularly known as “Bamako” said they were more than teammates, often serving as motivators and counselors during his career.
“I remember during one Africa campaign, I suffered an elbow injury and confided in Eben Dida that I didn’t think I could make it to the tournament. But he quickly told me, ‘Sammy Adjei, you are going.’”
“Yes, because he knew that if I was part of the team, I would deliver irrespective of the injury I was nursing, whether my leg or whatever. Even if I had a bandaged leg, I could still help the team win matches.
“He never had any bad intentions toward me, waiting for me to get injured so he could get the opportunity. Instead, he still wanted me to be the first-choice goalkeeper,” says Sammy Adjei.
He further highlighted the depth of their bond “I recall one of our trips to either Congo or one of the neighboring countries. When we arrived, I developed a boil on my elbow which had grown very big, so I informed the coach that I couldn’t keep the post.
“But to my surprise, Dida burst the boil and bandaged it for me. I went ahead to guard the post, and we went on to win the match. Dida, you’ve done a lot for me, you really helped me.”
