Exclusive: Razak Simpson Opens Up on Black Stars Debut and Representing Ghana

A large number of Ghanaian players harbored dreams of playing for their host nations. Some have these dreams realized by virtue of their hard work, while others may never get a look in despite their consistent performances for their clubs on a regular basis.

On the Ghanaian scene, there have been many suggestions by pundits, and connoisseurs of the game to have local content in the senior national team, BlackStars.

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In as much as these calls have become an everyday song, there are times, it may have fallen on good soils, other times, the stony rocks have been the haven for such calls.

At a very young age, following the BlackStars, I saw the likes of Shilla Illiasu (Kotoko), Mohammed Habib (King Faisal), George Owu (AshGold), and Dan Quaye (Hearts of Oak) transition to the BlackStars and make player selections a headache for the then managers of the national team.

Quite recently, the Black Stars’ participation in Qatar 2022 may have been a disaster not to remember. Still, that squad had two local players, Daniel Afriyie Barnieh (Hearts of Oak) and goalkeeper, Danlad Ibrahim of Kotoko. The duo’s inclusion sparked massive excitement amongst the Ghanaian football populace who hoped that would be the bedrock of continuity for other players in the Ghana Premier League.

Fast-forward to the BlackStars double 2025 AFCON qualifying round of games against Angola and Niger, the calls became rife for local inclusion yet again, three players made the list, Isaac Afful (Samartex), Emmanuel Antwi (Kotoko) and Razak Simpson (Nations FC).

The latter got a rare opportunity to feature in the two games and made a grand gesture for why players in the Ghana Premier League should be given an opportunity to feature for the BlackStars.

In a recent interview with Sahara Football’s Clinton Eleto, the hard-tackling center-back details how emotional he felt when he received the call-up to the BlackStars and a host of other talking points.

With a smile on his face, while answering a question on the BlackStars call-up, he responded by saying “I was so overwhelmed and of course I was buzzing for that day to come and God willing it came so I went straight to my knees and give God the glory for how far my journey has come”.

Every player dreams of the rare privilege of playing for the Black Stars. He explains how he handled the pressure of his first training session.

“The feeling was surreal and amazing because I used to watch them on television numerous times and wished to share a dressing room with them and now I’m seeing all that, it’s amazing” he added

To get a call-up is one thing, to play for the country is another thing. Some players get the opportunity of call-ups but find themselves warming the bench the entire period but for Simpson, the stars aligned in his favor when Otto Addo reposed confidence in him for a starting berth in a crucial AFCON 2025 qualifying game against Angola.

He shares his experience on what, it meant to him to be bestowed a huge mantle of starting for the Black Stars against Angola in Luanda.

“Since day one that I was called to the national team, I have already made my mind up and was ready if I’ll even play 1min, so I was calm and ready for anything and asked God for assistance and of course with the help of Jordan, Kudus, Alidu and other senior players there made me even more composed to go out there and play”.

“He told me he was super happy with me and I should continue working hard and be professional in everything because I’ll go far yeah”.

According to him, it was a worthwhile experience, he would want to relieve and improve upon himself playing for the country.

“I still want to improve, so I’m still learning, and even though we didn’t qualify we are BLACK STARS and we’ll come back Strong “

Simpson has become a fan’s favorite for Nations FC since joining the club a season ago. He has made 11 appearances for them as they battle for the 2024/2025 Ghana Premier League.

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The 26-year-old has made a big impression on the minds of Ghanaians with his two dominant performances for the Black Stars against Angola and Niger and will hope bar injuries and a drop in form he will make Otto Addo’s squad for the 2026 World Cup qualifiers slated for March 2025.