Despite making his national team debut in 2008, the centre-back had to wait till 2012 to finally break into the first team.
Since then, Boye has been one of the most
consistent Ghanaian players and is currently one of the senior players
that Coach Kwesi Appiah will be counting on in Egypt.
The 32-year-old will approach the 2019 Africa
Cup of Nations (AFCON) with confidence, having helped French side Metz
gain promotion to the Ligue 1 in the just ended season.
In recent years, the Black Stars have lacked
commanding defenders but John Boye’s style has been very endearing.
Despite not boasting the fight and vigor of legends like Samuel Kuffour
and John Mensah, Boye is still a unique talent and has goals in his
game.
In over 60 international games, the defender
has scored six times, including one which helped Ghana get past the 2015
AFCON group stages.
The Metz rearguard is regarded by many as a
late blossomer, but those who monitored his progress as a teenager would
know that he has always been destined for greatness.
Boye began his football career with the Hearts
of Lions academy in Ghana. He joined the club’s youth team in 2005 when
he was just 18, and soon broke into the first team.
After just a year playing in the Ghana Premier
League, the defender impressed scouts from Ligue 1 side Rennes who
signed him on loan. But after impressing in France, the hierarchy of
Rennes had no option than to make the move permanent and even went on to
promote him to their senior team.
Boye played for the French side from 2011 to
2014, making 74 appearances in all competitions and contributing three
goals in the process. His strong performances in that period earned him a
place in Ghana’s 2012 AFCON squad, where the country finished fourth.
The defender again played a key role as the Black
Stars qualified for a third successive World Cup in 2014, making all
three appearances as Ghana exited at the group stages.
The centre-back went on to play for Turkish
lower-tier side Kayseri Erciyesspor for a season, before joining
Sivasspor in the Superlig for the for the next three years.
While his move to Metz in the summer of 2018
was deemed as retrogression, the Ghanaian has since been a mainstay in
the team, helping them regain promotion to the Ligue 1. In fact, Boye
was the one who scored the winning goal in a 2-1 away win over Red Star –
the game ultimately confirmed Metz’s return to the French topflight.
As the Black Stars go to Egypt to take on the rest of Africa, there is no doubt that Boye will be crucial to the team’s target.
He may not be a John Mensah or Sammy Kuffour,
but Boye has been one of the most reliable players for the Black Stars
in recent years, and his rise is no fluke.
0 $type={blogger}
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