Johannesburg - If Mohammed Kudus’ exploits in the Fifa World Cup are anything to go by, then he should have a great chance at leading Ghana’s quest for vengeance against Uruguay in their Group H encounter at Al-Janoub Stadium on Friday.
It’s been more than 12 years since that night at Soccer City in Johannesburg where Asamoah Gyan missed the winning penalty kick following Luis Suarez’s handball in extra-time.
And yet Africa is still agonising over what could have been – given that Ghana were denied a spot in the World Cup semi-final on African soil.
But with the two nations set to meet in a highly-anticipated group stage finale with a spot in the last-16 up for grabs, a lot is at stake.
The two teams have deployed relatively new teams for the finals in Qatar compared to 2010 but the villain of Ghana’s loss, Suarez, is still in the mix.
Does the 35-year-old feel any remorse for his actions 12 years ago at the Calabash?
“The first time, I don't apologise about that. I took the handball – but the Ghana player missed a penalty, not me,” he told reporters on Thursday.
“Maybe I would apologise if I injured a player but, in this situation, I take a red card, the referee says penalty, it's not my fault (that Gyan missed it).”
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With Gyan busy with punditry work for SuperSport, Ghana will have to look for a new hero in Kudus for their revenge.
The 22-year-old seems to be Ghana’s best player at the global showpiece so far, scoring a brace as they beat South Korea 3-2 on Monday.
But he's been in fine form all round. Coming into the World Cup finals, Kudus had scored 10 goals and registered two assists for Ajax Amsterdam this term.
His form in Qatar, though, has either unearthed or rekindled interest from top clubs, with Barcelona sporting director Jordi Cruyff said to be keeping tabs on him.
"We've been tracking Mohamed Kudus for more than one year. We can't say now that Barça wants Kudus ... but he's attracting interest,” Cruyff said.
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Cruyff, who was born in Amsterdam, added on RAC 1: “He's scoring goals and in Holland they discuss a lot about his position. So yes – I know him well.”
Kevin-Prince Boateng, a member of the 2010 squad that lost to Uruguay that night, believes Kudus has been the best player in the World Cup so far.
“Kudus is the best player in the World Cup now and he's impressed with what he does,” said Boateng, who's doing punditry for German television Sport1.
“It will only be a matter of time before he moves, after the Dutch experience, to a top club,” Boateng said. “Kudus is currently the World Cup's best player.”
IOL Sport