Stephen Appiah will look back at Monday evening and be emotional once more.

The attendance to the launch of his testimonial was extremely well attended. It was particularly significant that the representation from Hearts of Oak was big.

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Former club CEO Harry Zakkour (pictured below, middle) and board chair Commodore Mensah (right), members of the current Hearts setup and influential official supporters groups' reps (Aziz Haruna Futa of Hearts Chapter 0, left) represented.

"Stephen was one of the guys who really wore thier hearts on their sleeves for the club," said Commodore Mensah before the event started.

And when it did, Joy Sports' Nathaniel Attoh was compère and a remark he made was telling: "The calibre of people in this hall is such that if, God forbid, a terrorist group strikes here, we could have a situation where the soul of Ghana football can all be wiped off!" 

The remark drew polite applause and chuckles, but it was serious.

Ablade Kumah. Sam Johnson. Abukari Damba. Richard Kingson. Laryea Kingston. Tony Baffoe. Kwesi Nyantakyi. Nana Sam Brew Butler. Dr. Mustapha Ahmed. Rev Osei Kofi.

And many more.

"It says a lot that we are doing this for Stephen, because this may be the beginning of how well we start treating our heroes when they are taking a back seat from active life," Tony Baffoe noted.

Appiah's emotional speech

Following the former Black Stars captain's media behaviour makes one thing clear: Stephen Appiah is a man who prepares well before mounting the public stage.

His speech was personal, and said in his own voice. Well, there was the odd expression here and there which showed the influence of a speech-writer, but it all added to the charm.

"I wish to say a heartfelt thank you to the fans who have stayed with me all these years, from the sandy pitches of the Indafa Park in Mamprobi to the greens of Turin and in Vojvodina, Serbia where I ended my European football career" 

The 34-year-old took every word carefully, but not before he admitted at the beginning of the speech when his voice shook: "I'm a bit nervous here."

But like his football career, he spoke with confidence and familiarity in the four-minute speech, where he looked back at the many years he has graced the game, and spoke of plans of having a final farewell.

Appiah had one last wish: "My last game will be on the 27th of June a the Accra Sports Stadium and I will very dearly wish to see my beloved supporters there to help me say goodbye to the game I love." 

Praise

Widely regarded as the most successful captain of the Black Stars based on achievement, Appiah attracted unabashed praise from those present at the event.

"[President of the Confederation of African Football] Issa Hayatou will always remember Stephen Appiah as the captain who plays and never gets tired," came the anecdote from GFA boss Kwesi Nyantakyi.

"Ever since he started at U-17, he has been a shy character. But as he has grown, that shyness morphed into a leadership quality we have all come to admire," intoned Nana Sam Brew Butler, a former GFA boss.

There was so much said by many others, but the day was well and truly for 'The Tornado'.

On a projector that showed audio-visual images detailing his career, Appiah's industry and commitment to the national cause brought nostalgia.

A telling image was of the player - in a number eight jersey for Ghana - taking a penalty in Malaysia in 1997. He scored. The keeper he beat? Iker Casillas. 

When that image first came on, Appiah cracked a small smile.

A man can only travel down the road laid before him. And on this road, the former Ghana captain has been stellar.

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Notes

* The farewell game will be on June 27.

* Appiah is expected to host several of his former club teammates during his time at Udinese, Parma, Juventus and Fenerbahce in Accra 

* It will be a two-day event which will be climaxed with his testimonial game.

* The evening before the game - June 26 - there will be an A-list dinner at the Banquet Hall of the State House in Accra.

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Report: Gary Al-Smith. Follow on Twitter: @garyalsmith