Black Stars: Stephen Appiah's leadership qualities was God given - Andre Ayew

Andre Ayew has heaped praises on former Black Stars captain, Stephen Appiah, describing him as a born leader, whose leadership qualities are a gift from God.

Appiah is regarded by many fans as one of the best players to have ever captained the Ghana national team.

He was the first skipper to lead the Black Stars to World Cup qualification, achieving that feat in 2006 and also played a vital role during the 2010 World Cup in South Africa.

According to the former Swansea City forward, Appiah was a charismatic leader when he captained the Black Stars, insisting he learned a lot from him.

“I think he is someone who had the charisma, the love of Ghana and was also marvellous on the field. This allowed him to control everything that was happening in the squad,” Ayew told Joy FM.

“The first time I came into the Black Stars he was the leader and I really watched him and took a lot from him because he had that thing [leadership qualities] he did not learn, it’s a gift by God. That’s why he was able to achieve all that he achieved.”

Ayew, who is currently the captain of the Black Stars, also discussed the leadership styles of former captains John Mensah and Asamoah Gyan.

He said Mensah didn’t speak much but always did his talking on the pitch by delivering exceptional performances.

“He [Mensah] wasn’t a big talker but he had the respect of every one mainly because he performed on the pitch. I don’t remember him having a bad game in a Black Stars jersey,” Ayew stated.

“He didn’t speak much. He was always in his corner but he spoke on the pitch and his performance will make you understand what he was telling you.”

Andrev Ayew also described Gyan as “jovial and more into the laughter side of things with the players. He had that ability to interact with any player due to the way he conducted himself.”

Ayew served as deputy Black Stars captain to Gyan, before succeeding the latter during the 2019 Africa Cup of Nations.