By OkayGoal 
Ghana football legend Mohammed Polo has called on the current generation of Black Stars players to demonstrate greater commitment and sacrifice whenever they represent the national team.
The former Hearts of Oak winger believes Ghana showed encouraging signs at the start of the recently concluded 2026 FIFA World Cup in North America but failed to maintain that momentum as the tournament progressed.
Polo, a member of Ghana’s 1982 Africa Cup of Nations-winning side, attributed the team’s struggles at major tournaments to a lack of commitment, patriotism and unity within the squad.
When they went to the World Cup, the way they started, everyone was happy, and suddenly they cut it. Why did it cut? It shows that there are some sort of commitment issues or some lack of chemistry among the players in camp, Polo told Asempa FM.
The Ghana football icon also expressed concern over what he sees as the gradual disappearance of the country’s traditional style of play, arguing that the dominance of foreign-based players in the national team has contributed to the loss of the Black Stars’ identity.
According to Polo, the passion, character and fighting spirit that once defined Ghanaian football were missing during the World Cup campaign.
Even that sort of Ghanaian style of playing isnt there anymore because almost the majority of our players are foreign-based. Only the goalkeeper. So that sort of character and commitment was lacking, he added.
Polo urged the current crop of Black Stars players to appreciate the responsibility that comes with wearing the national jersey, insisting that talent alone cannot guarantee success at the highest level.
Ghana made its fifth FIFA World Cup appearance in North America and reached the knockout stage for the first time since 2010. However, the Black Stars’ campaign ended with a 1-0 defeat to Colombia in the Round of 32.
The team will now turn its attention to the 2027 Africa Cup of Nations qualifiers, which begin in September. Ghana has been drawn in Group C alongside Ivory Coast, Gambia and Somalia.
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