The former Ghana midfielder was instrumental in the Black Stars’ impressive run in South Africa, which saw them become the third African country to reach the quarter-finals after Cameroon and Senegal.
Plaudits went to Asamoah Gyan, who scored three goals for Milovan Rajevac’s side, but the strength in midfield proved key as well, according to Annan.
“The World Cup meant a lot to my football career. It’s a dream come true for every football player to represent his country of birth. I was fortunate to get that opportunity in 2010. We had a very strong team.
“We had Stephen Appiah, Kevin-Prince Boateng, Kwadwo Asamoah, Derek Boateng, Sulley Muntari and myself in midfield. We all put up our best in training and in the games and we made the country proud,” he said.
“I had the belief that we will go far in 2010 because when the team played in Germany in the 2006 World Cup, we saw how far they went. We gave ourselves the target to reach there or go beyond that level. We took things game after game and we were focused and determined to win.”
“The stadium was usually full and whenever an African team was playing, South African fans come in their numbers to support. It was really great and that gave us the courage to play beyond our limits,” he added.
Anthony Annan started all five of Ghana’s matches at the 2010 World Cup in midfield, forming a solid partnership with Kevin-Prince Boateng and others.
