Ghanaian defender Gideon Mensah has described his time with the country’s youth national teams as a valuable learning experience.
The 24-year-old, who represented Ghana at the U17 and U20 levels, featured in major tournaments, including the 2017 FIFA U17 World Cup in India.
Reflecting on his first international outing, Mensah admitted the scale of the event was overwhelming. “It’s a long time ago now, but it was the first time I played in front of a lot of fans—about 50,000—and the pressure was intense,” he told Flashscore.
“It was a new experience compared to the Right to Dream way because when you play for a country like Ghana, expectations are very high. That comes with the pressure to perform at a very high level.”
Mensah revealed that the initial pressure affected his game but noted the positive influence of his talented teammates, including Mohammed Kudus, Ibrahim Sadiq, Emmanuel Toku, Eric Ayiah, and Mohammed Aminu.
“I think that pressure got to me a bit, but playing alongside these top-class players helped me. They had experience, and having them around made things better. I learned a lot from them,” he added.
While his time with the U20 team didn’t yield the desired results, Mensah appreciated the developmental opportunities. “The U20 was another experience where I developed as a player. Although the expectations weren’t met, and it was disappointing, it was a valuable learning curve.”
Mensah also expressed his aspirations to represent Ghana at the senior level. “It’s always an honour to represent your country. Playing for the Black Stars would be a great feeling because I know how fulfilling it was to play for the youth teams.”
Currently, Mensah is on the road to recovery after being sidelined for over two years with an ACL injury. The defender is back in training with Swedish side Varberg and is gearing up for the upcoming season.
