Football: Ghanaian harvesting in field of dreams

Yaw Yeboah with Ghana team liaison officer Bruce Macdonald, of Napier. PHOTOS/Anendra Singh

IN A family of 10 siblings dependent on a subsistence economy to make ends meet, Yaw Yeboah simply had to follow his arable farming parents' footprints in Ghana.

But instead of following the menial succession plan in the district of Sewfi, Yeboah dared to dream rather than find traction with a parcel of land in the western region that serves as the food basket of the African nation.

The youngster's defiance often left him traumatised after his irate father disciplined him for not carrying his share of the load or studying in school.

But today the teenager is at the cusp of breaking into showtime football as a Manchester City reserve grader for the past three years.

"I didn't actually like going to school when I was young because I really wanted to play football," he says with a laugh.

Needless to say it was no laughing matter when he got home at nights.

"When I come back, he beats me a lot," he says with a grin at the Civic Centre Library in the heart of Wellington before his Ghana team kick off against Austria at 7pm today to begin their Fifa Under-20 World Cup campaign.

The 18-year-old midfielder, who billets at a Winchester Park home with a Jamaican and English couple in Manchester, initially found England a challenge but has now acclimatised and "everything is perfect".

His affiliation with the Manchester City Youth began from the Rise to Dream Academy in Ghana.

"Every year we had the opportunity to go to train with City," he said.

"One day they say, 'Hey, we like this boy so we want him to be with us'.

"That's how it started.

"I was so happy because I came from a village where there was nothing and this opportunity come up."

Feeding a family of five brothers and as many sisters meant planting vegetables and carting them to the market for sale were essential rituals for survival.

But the magnetic pull of the eastern region of Ghana beckoned the youngster whose prowess didn't go unnoticed at the school league as tournaments followed.

He tossed aside books and calculators, and hid from his parents so he could hoof the ball.

His parents' frowns soon turned to smiles of approval after his meteoric rise.

His promising future is now a ticket out of a poverty-stricken habitat not just for him but his family.

Yaw Yeboah needs no introduction to the Fifa World Cup Under-20 tourney in New Zealand.

Yeboah was named the most valuable player in March at the African Under-20 Championship in Senegal.

"When I went home, my mum and dad were so happy. They said they didn't want me to play football but now they are very happy for me."

As a foreign player, Yeboah cannot collect pay cheques until he turns 19.

Obtaining a work permit to foot it professionally also is a challenge but he is mindful becoming a loan player will enhance his chances.

"I've been working really hard so I will work harder to get a contract."

Training with the first-team boys who grace the Etihad Stadium during home games is also a blessing.

Yeboah has found traction with veteran Ivory Coast professional midfielder Yaya Toure.

"He's nice to me, gives me advice and gives me a lot of confidence on the pitch as well.

"Every time I get the ball he says, 'Hey, just do whatever you want to do with the ball'."

French international Samir Nasri and Belgian defensive midfielder Vincent Kompany also help him out.

"When they give me advice, I feel more confident on the pitch," says Yeboah who can't wait to make his first appearance for the Manuel Pellegrini-coached English Premier League (EPL) high-fliers.

"It can happen, you know. I just need to focus on what is possible ..."

On occasional visits to his birth place, Yeboah mentors his younger brothers but often finds he comes away learning a few tricks from them, too.

Asked if they are football savvy because of their father, a former "top-level" player, Yeboah replies: "I think so but, you know, it all comes from God.

"God gives you all the talent. You just have to believe in him and work on it."

He isn't the only player from Europe in the Sellas Tetteh-coached Ghanaian side dubbed "Black Satellites". The squad boasts a player each from Spain and Italy.

Finishing third in the African Cup was disappointing but Yeboah says the 2009 Fifa U20 champions have learned from their mistakes in a tourney that Nigeria won.

"Nowadays we don't come to play football with names. You just come to the pitch and perform well for each other," says the teenager who was in the Ghana Under-17 side that failed to make the Fifa World Cup play-offs in Morocco.

As far as he's concerned, there's room for improvement for every player no matter how good they think they are.

"I have to show everyone that this is Yeboah, a Ghanaian boy who is performing now so there's a lot of work to do and I'm working on it."

For someone who used to leave nothing in his tank going up and down the paddock, Yeboah now fulfils the portfolio of "attacking midfielder".

"I'm a No 8 or No 10, who distributes the ball but also creates passes," says the player who is partial to his left foot.

He has scored many goals for his Ghana age-group teams.

Working with Barcelona superstar Lionel Messi and playing alongside the Argentine, too, have left an indelible impression on him.

"He saw something in me and he was really happy with how I am playing because he think maybe I play a little bit like him and I think if I keep working like him I might be like him someday but only God knows."

Yeboah is enjoying himself in New Zealand but, like many players from tropical countries, laughs diplomatically and nods his head in approval when asked if he finds it cold in Wellington.

Sydney gave the Ghanaians a change of scenery and climate.

The Africans beat Colombia and Qatar but lost to Portugal in warm-up matches.

-Sports editor Anendra Singh interviewed Panama in the capital city courtesy of Positively Wellington Tourism.