Former Ghana defender Samuel Osei Kuffour has praised Stephen Appiah for demonstrating great leadership during his time as Black Stars captain.

In an interview with Joy FM on Joy Sports Link Saturday, the Bayern Munich legend shared his experience of playing for the Black Stars under the leadership of Appiah, especially at the 2006 World Cup.

Kuffour had far more national team experience and was considered a senior player compared to the skipper.

The 43-year-old said he never felt disappointed playing without the armband although he deserved it because of his status as a senior player.

According to Kuffour, although he was not the captain, the players showed him maximum respect, adding that Appiah never took any decision without consulting him.

“Stephen [Appiah] was the captain. When we qualified to the World Cup in 2006, he never did anything behind me. He showed me respect because I was there before him and honestly, I never thought of being a captain because it is just a band," he said.

"You show your leadership on the field of play. Let me give you a scenario here, during the 2014 World Cup, Messi was the captain for Argentina but you could see inspiration came from Mascherano.

"Stephen was a leader, I loved the way he conducted himself in terms of leadership..”

Kuffour, a Champions League winner with Bayern, made over 50 appearances for Ghana and scored three goals.