Former Ghana international Michael Essien believes the Black Stars were unfortunate not to secure a major trophy during his time with the national team.
Essien, who played for Ghana between 2002 and 2012, was a key figure in the squad that reached the semifinals of the 2008 Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) and the final of the 2010 edition, where they narrowly lost to Egypt.
Reflecting on his international career, the former Chelsea midfielder admitted it still hurts that Ghana came so close but fell short of winning silverware.
“Yes, it hurts that we didn’t win a trophy because we were so unlucky in AFCON 2008. We got so close, but it just didn’t happen,” Essien told Sporty FM.
“We would have loved to win something for the nation, but it didn’t happen, and we had to move on.”
Since Essien’s retirement from international football, the Black Stars have reached only one AFCON final, in 2015, where they lost to Côte d’Ivoire on penalties.
