Eddie Nketiah thrives on the love and admiration he receives from Ghanaian fans, using it as motivation to push himself even harder on the pitch.
Born in Lewisham to Ghanaian parents, Nketiah began his football journey at Chelsea before moving to Arsenal, where he made his first-team debut in 2017. The striker has since played over 150 games for the Gunners, including a loan spell at Leeds United during their 2019–20 Championship-winning campaign.
Despite representing England at the international level, Nketiah maintains a strong connection to Ghana. Whenever he visits, he is met with warm embraces from fans at the airport.
Speaking in NBC Sports’ By Way of Africa series, Nketiah expressed how much Ghanaian support means to him.
“It’s amazing. It gives me a lot of motivation to keep doing what I’m doing and work even harder, knowing that people are also getting joy and living through my experience. I always keep that in the back of my mind whenever I go out to train and play,” he said.
“I’m playing for myself, but also for my family and the people who supported me. They’ve sacrificed a lot to help me get here,” he added.
