Accra, July 26, GNA – Fatao Dauda, former national number one goalie, has expressed his desire to write a book that chronicles his struggles in life as a young footballer till he hit the limelight.
“I have gone through a lot in my career and I believe I have an inspiring story to tell the next generation of footballers.
“One of my greatest desire is to put into writing what I have gone through as a footballer and my struggles in the national team.
“I remember very well how i defied the advice of my mother to chose football ahead of education,” he told the GNA Sports in an interview.
“She was never happy with my decision but I was convinced with what i wanted to do so stuck by that. I also have fond memories of how I felt i would be denied food after playing in a community match at Madina.
“My first competitive match was in a community match at Madina. I did so well to the admiration of the huge crowd there. I thought would be denied supper by my mother and to my surprised, I was served with a lot of food and meat when I got home.
“Apparently my mother was among the crowd that watched the match and saw how I was hailed by the crowd,” Dauda told the GNA Sports in an interview.
According to Dauda, the youth and the current generation of players would have a lot to learn from his story.
“But i must admit that without discipline and commitment, you cannot make it to the top.
“My first attempt in the national team was to serve as back up goalkeeper at training. I was never invited but rather called to step in for the second goalkeeper who was on another national assignment.
“I took the chance to prove my worth and since that, I had been getting call-ups to the national team.
“Playing for the national team is always a one time opportunity, if you miss it you would start all over again,” he stated.
Dauda was a member of 2008, 2015, 2017 Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) squad as well as a member of the 2014 World Cup squad in Brasil.
GNA