“It strengthened me” – Joseph Paintsil on losing his father days after 2022 World Cup snub

Joseph Paintsil, the Ghanaian winger, has shared how being left out of the Black Stars’ final squad for the 2022 World Cup served as motivation for him to excel on the field, resulting in significant success.

Before the 2022 World Cup in Qatar, Paintsil had been one of Ghana’s most prolific forwards, scoring six goals and providing five assists in 13 appearances, surpassing any other Ghanaian attacker at that time. However, then-head coach Otto Addo decided not to include him in the squad, citing a lack of sufficient exposure to the player as the reason.

To compound his disappointment, Paintsil lost his father in the same week that he was excluded from the World Cup squad.

In an interview with 3FM, he explained that despite the challenges he faced during that period, he was determined to give his best whenever he stepped onto the pitch.

“Missing out on the World Cup squad really motivated me, and I think the same week my father passed away. May his soul rest in peace. Normally, if it were someone else, it would have dampened their spirits, but it only strengthened me, and I know my father would be happy,” he said.

“I stayed focused and fought hard. Although the World Cup selection was a bit sad initially, I advised myself to concentrate on my football career, give my all for the club, and things started working out well for me.”

However, he emphasized that despite his disappointment, he holds no grudges against any coach because he believes their decisions should be respected.

“I felt a bit disappointed in the past, but you never know; every coach has their own decisions, and I need to respect that and move on as a professional footballer with a positive mindset, doing what I need to do on the field when given the opportunity.”

Despite missing out on the Belgian Pro League, Paintsil still managed to achieve an impressive tally of 18 goals and 14 assists, earning recognition as one of the top African players in Belgium.

He has since made a comeback to the Black Stars squad and provided an assist in Ghana’s match against Angola in the 2023 Africa Cup of Nations qualifiers (AFCON).

Paintsil will also be involved in Ghana’s upcoming match against Madagascar as they aim to secure a spot in next year’s AFCON to be held in Ivory Coast.