Ishmael Addo (left) speaking with Dan Kwaku Yeboah
Accra Hearts of Oak legend Ishmael Addo has revealed that there is ‘juju’ in football but it only works if one believes in it.
This came to light when he was advised by fellow teammate Jacob Nettey to avoid wearing the only jersey left when he received his debut call-up for the Black Star in 2000.
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According to Addo, prior to his first game with the Black Stars, he was tempted to pick up the jersey no.10 which was earlier ignored by likes of Stephen Appiah Charles Kwabla Akonnor but it took the intervention of Jacob Nettey who he played with at Hearts of Oak.
Speaking to Dan Kwaku Yeboah, the three-time Ghana Premier League scorer said “When we arrived in the dressing room, the senior players had their team, and coach Dossena asked me to join the first 18. Everyone picked and left the jersey no.10. There was Stephen Appiah and CK Akonnor who both wore the no.10 but in that particular game against Sierra Leone, everyone left the No. 10”
“Minutes later, Jacob Nettey came and instructed me not to pick it. Why would the senior players leave it and allow you to wear it? Coach Dossena arrived and asked why then I narrated to it him. Jacob Nettey then went to E.T Mensah who was then the Sports Minister and he together with the late Alhaji M.N.D Jawula who was then the FA President and they all stopped me from wearing the jersey. Nettey later came and said he has been asked by fans of Hearts to soak the jersey in salty water before I don it. I wore it and I was scored in that particular game as my debut goal for the Black Stars”, he added.
Addo was a household name in the Ghana Premier League who won the hearts of all with his prolific scoring instincts which saw him winning the top scorer award on three consecutive occasions (1999,2000, and 2001) while playing for Hearts of Oak.
Addo started his professional football career at Hearts of Oak in 1998, where he remained for four seasons, three of which he finished as the country's top scorer.
During his spell with the club, he won the 2000 CAF Champions League and 2001 League, and 2021 Super Cup, four Ghanaian League championships(1997-1998, 2000, 2001), and two Ghanaian FA Cups (1999,2000).
Addo was a key member of the Ghanaian U-17 team and reached the FIFA U-17 World Championship semifinals in New Zealand. He won the golden boot award, scoring seven goals that helped Ghana to an impressive third-place finish.
