The Ghana defender has revealed that playing street football without boots was tough but aided his development.
Chelsea defender Abdul Baba Rahman has revealed how tough his football career began in his native country Ghana.
The 21-year-old said he began playing football on the streets without shoes but the situation didn’t deter him from achieving his aims.
“My mum told me that when I first set eyes on a football and started kicking that was when I started walking, so maybe one-and-a-half or two years old,” Baba told Chelseafc.com.
“My first experiences were playing street soccer back in Ghana. There were loads of people playing, probably 30 or 40 running after one ball. We didn’t have boots, it was tough conditions but always fun,” he said.
The former Asante Kotoko defender admitted his love for Brazilian football, adding that the most skilful opponents he has faced in a game are Bayern Munich’s pair Arjen Robben and Frank Ribbery.
“When I was young, I watched a lot of soccer skills which I tried to learn to do with the ball. I loved watching Brazilian skills, samba skills [but I love] Stepovers. That is what I can do best.
“Frank Ribery at Bayern Munich, he and Arjen Robben were hard to play against.”
Baba started his career in the northern part of Ghana before joining giants Kotoko on loan from Dreams FC and subsequently moved to Greuther Furth in Germany in 2011.
He has played seven games in all competitions for Chelsea since his £21 million transfer from German side FC Augsburg in August.
Source: Goal.com
