Latif Salifu: Three knee surgeries, the pain and the sudden retirement from football at just 32-years

From the streets of Ashanti Region of Ghana came Latif Salifu, a talent who sought to become the next big thing on the local and foreign front.

Salifu’s formative years started in Buokrom Zongo before journeying to Dunkwa in the Central Region to play for the now defunct Starke FC, then in the national Division Two League.

After an impressive spell with Starke fc, one of the strongest ever production line for Ghana’s various national team, Liberty Professionals snapped him up.

The now Division One club offered a perfect platform for his fast rise which eventually landed the smallish winger in the national U-20 team.

Salifu would not be a regular member of the U-20 side but certainly remained in the Ghana side that conquered Africa and the World in 2009.

Ghana swept the board in all the youth competitions continentally and globally by annexing the WAFU Tournament in Nigeria.

The team followed it up with the AFCON glory in Rwanda before capping it with the global glory in Egypt after beating power house, Brazil via penalty shootouts which became Ghana and Africa’s first ever trophy.

The now 32-year-old has since struggled to climb the highest echelon of continental or global football and he narrates what has accounted for the difficult rise.

“For some time now I’ve been home, I’ve not been playing, not for some time, I’m not going to play football again.

“I have had some injuries and it is not helping my career and that’s the reason why I’ve stopped and I don’t want to play again,” Latif Salifu told Radio Gold Sports.

“It was my injury from Cote D’Ivoire because I didn’t take it serious, I thought it was normal.

“When I came I used to play for Medeama and then back to Berekum Chelsea.

“When I signed for Berekum Chelsea I said no, the way the pain is, I have to go and do another surgery.

“So after the surgery the pains was too much and I decided to play for King Faisal but was for the second round.

“After that I said the pains was too much.

“As at now I have had three surgeries, one on my left leg and the other two on the right leg.” Latif Salifu Told Radio Gold Sports.

Latif Salifu previously played for Ghanaian clubs Liberty Professionals, Berekum Chelsea, Medeama and King Faisal with a spell at Ivory Coast club, AS Tanda in between.

This article was written by Adamu Muftawu for Africa-foot.com and relayed by kick442.com as an official media partner.