Growing up as a young boy in Nima, in Ghana, Mohammed Kudus used to dream of following in the footsteps of fellow countrymen Michael Essien and Sulley Muntari and play in the Premier League.
Now an established attacking midfielder for West Ham United, Kudus shares his journey to the east end of London in the video above, celebrating the diversity of the Premier League through the theme of “Greatness comes from everywhere” as part of the No Room For Racism initiative.
“I grew up in Nima. It’s a slum area, probably like a ghetto,” says Kudus. “You have to be very tough to sustain yourself in an area like that.
“To start all the way from Nima and then leave home very early takes a lot of discipline and sacrifices to stick on that path and not lose your soul.
“To become a Premier League player, it means a lot for me. I feel it’s also a responsibility for me because growing up with the Michael Essiens and all these guys, Muntari, playing in the Premier League, was the source of motivation for me.
“Right now that I’m also in this position, I try [to] look back and make the guys coming from Nima now believe that they can do it even better than the point I am now.
“But that also comes with responsibility on how I throw light on where I’m from, how I carry myself and how I represent Ghana and Nima as a whole.”
Kudus has been good to his word and took an opportunity to shine a light on his homeland in December when he celebrated scoring against Brighton & Hove Albion by picking out a wooden seat with a carved elephant from behind the goal and then sitting on it with team-mate Crysencio Summerville.
At the time Kudus said: “It’s my roots. Where I come from, the chiefs and the kings, they sit on stools where they are from. So I thought it would be nice to share a little bit of life where I am from.”
Having the opportunity to be a role model and also give Ghana greater visibility is something Kudus is proud of.
“It [playing] comes with that responsibility, but I like it because it’s a positive feeling to know that someone can dream through your achievement, and your dream, and what you do,” he adds.
“My idea of greatness is using your God-given talent to have an impact on other people’s lives and where you’re coming from. So that’s my definition of it.”
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