Baba Rahman: Ghana defender prioritising fitness over Black Stars return

Defender Baba Rahman has promised to play for Ghana again but will only return to the national set-up when he feels entirely ready.

The 30-year-old’s most recent outing for the Black Stars came in the 2023 Africa Cup of Nations (Afcon) qualifier against Central African Republic last September, when he was jeered by some corners of the ground in Kumasi.

But Rahman, who plays his club football in Greece, stresses that his absence stems from a desire to look after his body rather than his treatment that day.

“It’s a personal decision to take a break (from Ghana) to concentrate on my fitness because I’ve not had a great time with injuries,” the left-back tells BBC Sport Africa.

“When I joined PAOK last year, I just thought it was wise to stay away a bit from international football to get my fitness back.”

Between January 2017 and September 2020, the left-back spent an agonising total of 999 days on the sidelines after suffering a series of serious injuries, including twice rupturing an anterior cruciate ligament.

He returned to feature in the 2021 Afcon and 2022 Fifa World Cup campaigns, which both ended in group-stage exits.

“Fans are asking me all the time to come back to play for Ghana but I think I need to take care of my health before everything right now,” Rahman adds.

“People know about my injury history and it has really been a difficult few years. I just want to enjoy my club football again and then I know my international career will take off again too.”