Ghana Forward David Accam Reveals Why He Joined COMMON GOAL

David Accam has become the first African man to join Common Goal and now wants to find the next George Weah or Kofi Annan. Adam Bate caught up with him to hear about his unique journey to MLS via non-league football in England and the Swedish third tier.

David Accam is speaking in Florida where his new team Philadelphia Union are preparing for the forthcoming MLS season. His heart, though, as ever, is in Ghana. The conversation soon turns to the gravel pitches he enjoying playing on with friends as a child. That was where the dream began. But Accam is acutely aware he was also reliant on fortune to make it a reality.

It was the intervention of the Right to Dream academy that set him on this path. For almost 20 years, the Accra-based initiative has provided opportunities for young Africans with a focus on football and education. "It was huge for me," Accam tells Sky Sports. "When I was growing up, most people perceived footballers to be illiterate, especially in Ghana.

"That was the perception that my parents had so they didn't want me to play. I had to convince them that I could do both - I could play football and get an education. The good thing is that it has all changed now back home. It is not just soccer, soccer, soccer like it was before. The Right to Dream Academy in Ghana focuses on education as well as soccer.

"When you do both, you develop your character not just your soccer playing ability. You mingle with people from all walks of life and you learn so much. It made me a better person as well as a better footballer. I knew that getting the chance to go there was a privilege and that there were lots of other kids like me not getting that opportunity."

Accam laughs at the memory of "wet Wednesdays in Ledbury" and insists his adventures in English football's tenth tier were enjoyable. There was a spell at Evesham United too with Accam unable to play at a higher level because he was in the country on a student visa. It was in Sweden with Graham Potter's Ostersunds FK that his professional career began.

The tiny Swedish club have since become one of the success stories of the decade, rising from obscurity to compete in Europe under their British coach thanks to the vision of chairman Daniel Kindberg. From humble beginnings in front of crowds of a few hundred people, Ostersunds FK are now preparing to face Arsenal in the knockout stages of the Europa League.