Interview: Richmond Boakye-Yiadom speaks on career and World Cup

Published on: 02 January 2014
Interview: Richmond Boakye-Yiadom speaks on career and World Cup
Richmond Boakye-Yiadom speaks about his career and dream

Ghana striker Richmond Boakye-Yiadom has been talking to MTNFootball.com about his flourishing debut season in the Spanish La Liga for FC Elche. 

 The 20-year-old, who is on loan from Juventus, scored three goals in 14 league appearances for Los Franjiverdes.

Boakye spoke about his desire to play at the 2014 World Cup finals and scoring against Real Madrid.

Read details of his interview below:

How is life in Spain?

First of all I will like to thank the Almighty God for giving me the opportunity to be in Spain. It is a really lovely country and things are going well. It took you very little time to adjust and find your feet in La Liga. How was that possible?

I think if you always believe in what you believe in and train hard, and you work towards your goals and aims in life, you will always do better. Because I think there are possibilities in life. If only you want to do whatever you love to do, I think you can do it better and better. Since I went there, I made my mine I was in Spain, I’m going to do the way I do in Italy and see what God has for me and fortunately it went well.

What is the difference between La Liga and playing in Italy?

There is not much difference between the two leagues. The small difference is about the possession of the ball. Even when it comes to the defenders, they like to possess the ball but I must say the difference is very small.

Your are regarded as one of the big boys in Elche. Is that the case?

I won’t say I’m the main key player in the team but I am one player who always wants people to look up to. I just want a child to say I want to be like Boakye Magic. I think right now in Elche things are going so well and I even see so many people selling outside wanting to see me on the pitch. I think it is a very good thing God is doing in my life because out of nowhere was I picked and out o nowhere God made something out of me so I think it is getting on so well for me in Elche.

You managed to score three La Liga goals before the winter break. Could you have scored more?

I would have scored more than four goals if the coach had given me the chance because when I went after the U20 World Cup the coach thought my fitness level was down because I was hope, I didn’t go for pre-season and he thought staying for two weeks without intensive training and coming to Juventus to do like only one week, my level wasn’t the best.

I was not getting the playing time that I wanted like coming in for 15; the end of 20 minutes. Gradually I started playing and scoring but I think if I had started playing 70 minutes or 80 minutes I think I would have scored about eight.

You scored against Real Madrid. How big was it for you?

I must say it is one of my greatest achievements in life because scoring against a team like Real Madrid, a few people have gotten this opportunity to play against these clubs so if I am one of the players to score against Madrid then I think I should always be happy.

It is something I say to myself me of all people scoring the big clubs.

Are Barcelona the best team in the Spanish top-flight?

I won’t say they are the best team. They play good football but I won’t say they are best because I saw Madrid (Real) they also play good football. Especially Atletico Madrid they also play good football. Valencia, Villarreal they also play good football so I will say they (Barcelona are better now) because as far as they are on top it means they are playing good football now but it will be very difficult to say they are the best.

What is your target for the second half of the season?

Well I said I was scoring ten goals. I have scored four, which is left with six but by God’s Grace if I finish scoring the six. I think we have more games ahead so I push forward to get like 14 or 15 goals.

What about your game do you seek to improve?

After the first round of every team that I go, I just save all my videos, I sit down and watch things that I did that brought the goals or things that I was lacking in the game.

I analyse it myself and try to work on it. So I think I am going to do better than I did in the first round because I know it is time for us to go to the World Cup and as a great nation like Ghana which I think we are going to get to the semi-final so we have to work hard.

So I am going to do my best as possible to make it to the World Cup.

Cristiano Ronaldo or Lionel Messi. Who deserves to win the FIFA Ballon D’Or?

For me I think Ronaldo deserves it because you have a player who can run without the ball and with the ball, who can jump, who can score with the head, who can score free-kicks.

For me I think he’s is complete football.

Though Messi has won it four times, but whatever Cristiano Ronaldo is doing right now, I think it is visible to everybody who is watching football that he deserves to win so me I will go for Cristiano Ronaldo.

Are you keen to play at the 2014 World Cup finals in Brazil?

I think it is the decision of every footballer to play at the World Cup. If you talk about the World Cup, the whole world is watching and when I was a child my dream was to play at the World Cup.

And I want to do something that will be remembered in my country through World Cup.

So I will do all that I can do to make sure I am doing a good job but when the decision comes it has to be the coach.

By God’s Grace if I get the opportunity and I’m being called, mark it down, I will do something that people haven’t seen me do before because I know what God can use me to do.

Describe the experience of not playing at the Africa Cup of Nations this year in South Africa.

The Nations Cup was my target. From Sassuolo, things were going well, I was so fit and I said in my mind that this African Cup, I was going to blow it; I was going to make it big.

If everybody watching the game witnessed the first friendly match against Egypt, not because I scored but I knew the strength I use to play in the national team had increased.

My experience because of my second year in the Serie B with Sassuolo, I had in me this is the chance to prove Boakye-Yiadom can help when it comes to the attacking side but unfortunately whatever is meant to happen cannot be changed so I regretted it when I got injured the first 3-4 days but I said whatever happens you must give thanks to God.

How far do you want to go as a footballer?

I have always said I want to be like Samuel Eto’o. When it comes to the world’s striker I want to be like Samuel Eto’o.

For me, he is the best striker to come from Africa so I’m always aiming high.

I think if God brings the favour that he’s showering on me now, I think I can never be more than him.

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