Former Ghana international, Michael Essien has risen to the defense of Black Stars players with dual nationality whose difficulty to perform for the team has been associated with cultural differences and their inability to fit into the team.

In recent times, players like Spanish-born forward Inaki Williams and English-born Antoine Semenyo have been the target of criticism for their inability to replicate their club form at the national level.

Since making his debut in a friendly against Brazil in September, Inaki Williams has managed only one goal in twenty-one appearances for the national team.

In the process, he featured for the Black Stars in the 2022 FIFA World Cup and the 2023 African Cup of Nations in Ivory Coast, along with a number of qualifying games—a sharp contrast to his performance at club level, where he has scored over 100 goals for Athletic Bilbao.

For Antoine Semenyo, despite his impressive form for Bournemouth in the English Premier League, the forward has managed only two goals in twenty-five appearances for the senior national team since making his debut in 2022.

Speaking on Accra-based Sporty FM, Essien refuted claims that cultural differences could be the cause of the non-performance.

“Sometimes we are funny. When we see these Ghanaians born in Europe, we invite them, and then when things are not going well, we say, ‘Oh, they don’t fit in; they don’t know our culture.’ For me, that’s a bit b**t,” Essien stated.

According to the former Chelsea midfielder, several factors beyond cultural differences could account for the non-performance of the players.

He warned that criticism based solely on such ideas could discourage other dual-nationality players from representing Ghana.

Essien, who announced his retirement from football in July 2018, made over fifty-five appearances for the Black Stars, featuring in three African Cup of Nations tournaments and two FIFA World Cups.