AFCON 2019: Thomas Partey Can Lead Ghana To Annex AFCON - Stephen Appiah

Former Black Stars skipper, Stephen Appiah believes Thomas Partey has the requisite qualities to lead Ghana to glory at the Africa Cup of Nations and believes he is one of the leaders of the team.

The Atletico Madrid ace has played one the finest football in the just ended season in the Spanish La Liga in the UEFA Champions League.

The 25-year-old midfield kingpin played 32 times, scoring thrice with a passing accuracy of 84% for Los Rojiblancos.

The Black Stars side face tricky Afcon games against reigning champions Cameroon, Benin Republic, and Guinea-Bissau in Group F as they aim for their fifth African title.

The Juventus and Fenebache midfielder who played 67 times for his country, believes the Manchester United and Inter Milan target will be a key figure in Ghana’s quest to shine brightly in Egypt.

“Every player’s dream is to play in Afcon and Thomas Partey is not an exception,” Appiah, who now serves as the coordinator for the Black Stars said.

“Partey is doing very well and with his abilities and what he can do on the field, he can help Ghana go far.”

Ghana finished a disappointing fourth in the last edition staged in Gabon, however, the 38-year-old is upbeat of his country’s chances this time around.

“It’s going to be an interesting Afcon because we will be having 24 teams participate instead of 16. That will make it difficult and exciting,” he continued.

“For Ghana, we are going to take it match after match. All the countries taking part are not pushovers and they will be very prepared.

“We have our goal going to Egypt, and that is to win, but we have to respect the countries who will be participating,” he added.

Ghana will camp in Dubai for two where they will engage South Africa and Namibia in a friendly before the start of the tournament from June 21 to July 19.

The Black Stars begin their campaign against the Squirrels on June 25 at the Ismailia Stadium, Ismailia.