My call up to Ghana squad for 2015 AFCON was the best Christmas present, Kwesi Appiah reveals

By Ameenu Shardow

Follow on Twitter @alooameenu

Striker Kwesi Appiah says his first ever call up to the Ghana national team was the best present he received for Christmas.

The 24-year-old was the biggest surprise in the initial 31-man squad of the Black Stars for the 2015 Africa Cup of Nations.

Many thought Appiah who was then on loan at English League Two side Cambridge United was going to be one of the casualties when coach Avram Grant finalizes his squad for this month’s tournament.

But the Crystal Palace striker helped himself by scoring on his debut for Ghana – in the friendly win over Olhanense to make Ghana’s final squad.

The English-born Ghanaian says his unexpected call up to the Black Stars squad was the best gift he got for Christmas.

“It was someone from the Ghana FA,” Appiah recalled to FIFA.com.

“I was on the way to training and I got a call from someone saying, ‘We’d like to invite you to come and play for the national team’.

“I got goosebumps thinking, ‘Is this really happening?’ I was delighted, extremely proud as well. It blew me away.

“People think I’m too hard to buy presents for, they just leave me to it. I wasn’t expecting anything.

“Everybody was asking me, ‘What do you want for Christmas?’ This was the present I needed the whole time.”

Appiah is amongst three strikers competing for a starting role with the Black Stars at the 2015 AFCON with captain Asamoah Gyan a certain starter.

He will be competing against Jordan Ayew and Mahatma Otoo.