Bernard Aryee recalls tough moments under Coach Sam Arday

Former Black Stars midfielder Bernard Aryee has shared his difficult yet defining experience working with the late Coach Sam Arday, revealing how he eventually won the veteran trainer’s trust.

Arday was the coach of Ghana Olympic Team, which won the Olympic Bronze Soccer Medal at Barcelona ’92, the first for an African country, and coach of the Black Satellites.

Aryee, who also featured for Accra Great Olympics, Hearts of Oak, and Liberty Professionals, recounted how Arday was initially unimpressed with him, despite being the one who invited him to the national camp.

“It wasn’t easy working with Coach Sam Arday. He didn’t like me. Everything I did, he wasn’t happy about it. He was the one who also invited me to the camp. You can’t just impress him the first time,” Aryee told Adom FM’s Fire for Fire.

The former midfielder narrated an incident during a four-nation tournament in Egypt that proved pivotal to his career. According to him, when C.K. Akunnor picked up an injury in a game, Arday was reluctant to call on him as a replacement.

“In a particular game during a four-nation tournament in Egypt, C.K. Akunnor got injured and I was direct replacement for him on the bench. He told C.K. to continue playing with the injury because there is no player to replace him. Instead of asking me to warm up, he insisted C.K. plays,” Aryee revealed.

Despite the hesitation, Aryee was eventually introduced into the game and made the most of the opportunity.

“At the end I had to go and play and did my best in the 20 minutes I was given. I impressed him and he nicknamed me ‘Armoo Computer’. From that day, I played regularly,” he added.

Aryee’s story highlights the challenges players often faced under Coach Arday’s strict standards but also underscores the value of resilience and determination in winning a place in the national team setup.