Former Ghana International, Nii Odartey Lamptey
Former Ghana International Nii Odartey Lamptey has said he cried when he was informed that the Ghana Football Awards Board had decided to name its Future Stars category of the awards scheme after him.
Odartey Lamptey is famed for his imperious talents, especially as a youth star where he shone for Ghana as the Black Starlets won the 1991 FIFA U-17 Tournament in Itlay.
He represents for many what a genuine African talent could do on the world state even at a young age.
Odartey’s immense talents meant even at age 15 he was a household name in Ghana’s football circles and he featured for the Black Stars in the 1992 African Cup of Nations held in Senegal. Ghana won silver after losing to Ivory Coast on penalties.
The former Aston Villa star also featured for Ghana’s Black Meteors in the 1992 Olympic Games held in Barcelona when Ghana won bronze.
It was because of these exploits that the Ghana Football Awards Board decided to inspire the new generation of footballers to look up to Odartey as the perfect role model for their development both on and off the field.
The Awards Board has thus referred to the award category as the Odartey Lamptey Future Star Award.
Reacting to the news during the Nominees Announcement on Wednesday, June 16 on Joy Prime, Odartey said he was grateful for the honour, adding that he feels appreciated for the work he did for Ghana.
“To be honest, the day I heard it I cried. I realize that people appreciate what I did for this country and I have not been forgotten. I thank the Board and all Ghanaians for this”, he concluded.
Three Black Stars players, Andre Ayew, Kudus Mohammed, and Gladson Awako will headline this year’s edition of the Ghana Football Awards which comes off on Saturday, July 3, 2021, at the Grand Arena, Accra.
The trio has been shortlisted for the prestigious Ghana Footballer of the Year Award which is the flagship category of the awards scheme.
While the Ghana Footballer of the Year remains the flagship award, other categories such as the Homebased Football of the Year, Goal of the Year, Most Vibrant Club on Social Media and Club CEO of the Year are all likely to generate more excitement.