Osei reveals golden agenda

Osei reveals golden agenda
(FIFA.com) Monday 5 October 2009
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Two years and one month have elapsed since Ransford Osei's last interview with FIFA.com. In those 25 months a lot has happened in the life of the Ghanaian teenager. Back on 4 September 2007, he was preparing for a semi-final match against Spain in the semi-final of the FIFA U-17 World Cup, but it was a game which didn't exactly go to plan for the Black Starlets.

"We were unlucky because it was 1-1 until the last four minutes of extra time," he recalled. "Bojan scored a very intelligent goal and, given the time, it was impossible for us to come back. It's still painful when I think about it, but the memories of that have made me stronger."

Osei's six goals at Korea 2007 went a long way in helping him win a senior international debut in a friendly against Togo. It also attracted the attention of Maccabi Haifa, who signed him initially on loan, before they awarded him a three-year contract. However, the youngster failed to settle and he now finds himself on loan at FC Twente.

"I found it tough in Israel," admitted Osei. "I was only 17 when I went there and I found the culture very different to what I'd experienced in Ghana. I didn't enjoy the food, I didn't have any friends or family around me and the style that Haifa played did not suit my game at all.

"Things are much easier in the Netherlands, I feel more comfortable there. The facilities are much better, the culture far easier to adapt to and the league is of a higher standard. Steve McClaren is my coach and he's very good with me. I think he's going to help make me a better player."