Ghanaian midfielder Abdul Rashid Fuseini has shed light on the stereotypes that continue to hamper the development of footballers in Northern Ghana.

The Slovenia-based player revealed that growing up in Tamale came with a deep-seated belief that becoming a professional footballer was impossible unless one moved to the south. According to Fuseini, the environment fostered more doubt than inspiration.

“It was hard growing up there [in Tamale], because Tamale there, if you are going to mention players who are like dominating in the legends list, there's only a few people you can mention,” the NK Tabor midfielder told Joy Sports.

“So there were a lot of doubts there, like nobody can make his dream come true when you come from the north.

“You can only make it happen when you are in the south. That was how everybody believed.”

Watch Fuseini's full interview below:

Fuseini’s path to professional football has been far from conventional. After being discovered by Accra-based Shooting Stars during a national U15 camp, he earned trials with Sheffield United, Wolves, Manchester United, and Brentford.

Despite those opportunities, he was unable to secure a deal due to age-related restrictions. His breakthrough eventually came with Serbian side Backa Topola, before joining Slovenian outfit NK Tabor in 2023. He has spent the last two seasons there, working steadily to rebuild his professional career.