You were one of five Freiburg players to go to the World Cup. What will you tell your kids when they ask about the tournament in Qatar?

There’s a lot to talk about. It’s always exciting to be with Ghana and so much happens, including some funny stories – which you can only maybe laugh about in a few years time...

Let's hear one story.

Punctuality is definitely an issue with us. There was barely a team meeting or meal where somebody didn’t join late. Clocks work differently for Ghanaians. Our coach Otto Addo places a lot of importance on punctuality, just like in Germany and in Europe. It was good to see in the end that something good came from it all. All the fines went to the hotel staff at the end – I don’t think they’d ever received a tip this big!

Unlike the Germany team, Ghana stayed in the centre of Doha during the tournament. What was the World Cup like for you there?

My family were also there and were allowed to come into our hotel every day. They told me about all that was going on. They were at the Germany game against Spain and said the atmosphere wasn’t particularly amazing. The stadium was rocking though when Ghana were playing. I stayed in contact with Günni, Matze, Ritsu and Wooyeong during the tournament. They also spent most of their time in the hotel. I was able to visit the big mall in Doha. It was incredible, I’ve never seen a shopping mall that big. You could have spent all day in there and still not seen every shop.

How did the tournament go from a Ghana perspective?

We were particularly pumped up ahead of the last game against Uruguay because of what happened 12 years ago.

Remind us of what happened then.

Ghana played Uruguay in the World Cup quarter-finals back in 2010 and had a massive chance to win the game in injury time. Luis Suarez saved the ball on the line with his hand, Ghana missed the resulting penalty and then lost the shootout.

You were a teenager back then. What are your memories of that game?

I can still picture it now. I was watching it with a friend and his family in Hannover. It was really emotional and I went upstairs to cry after the game. It really hurt me.

You were just a point from reaching the knockouts at this World Cup…

Yeah, it was a real shame. We were just two goals away in the end. Nevertheless, I think we gave a good account of ourselves and nobody can ever take the experiences we had away from us. It was a special time and I’m definitely fully motivated to be involved again in four years. Hopefully in the knockouts too then as well.

You visited Ghana after the World Cup. How close are you to people there?

It was actually my first ever holiday to Ghana. I’d only previously been for international games and obviously when I was born there. I was finally able to visit my family, though not all of them – there’s too many to see! I’ll do that one day with my father. I visited my two siblings who have come to see me in Germany before.

Are you able to walk the streets in Accra without being immediately recognised?

A lot of people do actually come up to me and ask for photos. Some even hug me because they’re so happy to have met me. It’s all good and I enjoy it.

Things aren’t quite like that here in Freiburg. You’ve been here now since the summer, how have your first six months been?

It was definitely a good decision to come here. Things have gone well for the team, perhaps even better than expected. I obviously had a problem with my back and a few other knocks early on, but I’m fit now and ready to go. I’m really looking forward to training now and the remainder of the season. I want to show what I’m capable of.

It sounds like you’re really excited to play football again after the World Cup and your holiday…

It was the longest holiday I’ve ever had in my professional career. I’m really thankful for it and it did me the world of good. I missed football and Freiburg pretty quickly though. I believe we can continue to be successful and I want to continue growing with the team – I can’t wait to be back!

Are the rest of the lads as excited as you?

We’ve got a clear plan of how we want to play football and we enjoy it. We’ve got a lot of individual quality too, ranging from the goalkeepers all the way to the forwards. Ritsu, Gintes and Gregerl also brought new quality to the team in the summer. It’s fun to play here.

The team trained twice today in Sotogrande. What’s your plan for the evening?

Firstly to eat well. The food is really nice here and that’s important during a training camp. I’m going to see the physios again after that for a massage. I’ll probably go to Vince’s room for a chat later on, but not for too long. I’m already a bit tired and I won’t struggle to get to sleep tonight.