Black Stars squad: Otto Addo rolled the dice with Afriyie Barnieh and succeeded
Black Stars put up a superb performance against FIFA’s 15th-ranked side, Switzerland in an international friendly on Thursday morning.
Albeit, majority of the players impressed, one name stood out – Daniel Afriyie Barnieh.
Defender Mohammed Salisu, the man who shot the Black Stars into the lead before forward Antoine Semenyo added the second, received plaudits for his impressive efforts. Debutants Salis Abdul Samed and his midfield partner Elisha Owusu dominated the middle of the park with brawn and brain but at the end of ninety minutes, the name Barnieh was dominant.
It was a huge gamble by head coach Otto Addo to even include the diminutive forward in Ghana’s 26-man squad with many labelling the invitation as cosmetic.
On paper, Barnieh is certainly below the pecking order with attackers like Inaki Williams, Kamaldeen Sulemana, Kudus Mohammed, Issahaku Fatawu, Osman Bukari and Jordan Ayew all above him.
Including Barnieh in the list brought excitement on the local terrain on the face value but upon deep reflection, the responsibility has become outrageously big for his steadily growing career. The 21-year-old has a huge task of not disappointing himself, his family, Hearts of Oak, the local league, the media and more importantly, Addo.
How can a youngster put all these at the back of his mind especially being a rookie when it comes to senior national football?
Three days after inviting Barnieh to the Black Stars, the Borussia Dortmund man showed his courage by rolling the dice with the forward by starting him in a crucial friendly against Switzerland, a decision, many, except the technical team, did not see coming.
It certainly did not backfire as Barnieh came out with flying colours.
Barnieh’s game by numbers against Switzerland is seen below:
62 minutes played27 touches13/15 completed passes (87%)3/7 duels won2 interceptions2x fouled1/1 shot on target1 final 3rd pass1/1 accurate long balls1 ball recovery
From being the last on the pecking order in the attacking firepower of the Black Stars to being compared to precocious talents around the globe like Ansu Fati of Barcelona and team-mate Ousmane Dembele on social media.
It might be exaggerated but it speaks volumes of Barnieh’s output on his first start for Ghana.
Good performance to earn the trust of the technical team. Starting against Portugal in Ghana’s opener in the World Cup will leave many dumbfounded but certainly, he will be an option depending on how games turn out.
Barnieh will hope for more opportunities to play an instrumental role in the Black Stars. Hopefully, positive stories either at the 2022 World Cup or subsequent tournaments, having already delivered for Hearts, Black Satellites and Black Galaxies.