From turning out in the mud and the slush of reserve football in England, Richard Kingson’s life has come a full circle.
Finally, Africa United ran out of steam. Tears of joy turned to sorrow in a span of 15 minutes. For the Ghanaian goalkeeper, it was nothing short of a disaster.
From turning out in the mud and the slush of reserve football in England, Richard Kingson’s life has come a full circle.
His is an out-and-out rags-to-riches story. Kingson’s journey from a football backwater to the world stage has been nothing short of inspirational. And he has grabbed the attention of the world with his stellar performances.
Still trying to come to terms with the disappointment of his side’s exit from the World Cup, Kingson says he is “sad yet proud” of his teammates.
“I still cannot digest the fact that we are out of the World Cup. When the penalty was awarded to us in the last minute of extra time, I was already celebrating. So what happened later was unbelievable,” he told DNA after the match.
So what does he think of star striker Asamoah Gyan’s miss? “Oh that happens. Asamoah has had a great tournament and has been one of the main reasons of us doing so well. It was a pressure situation. It could have happened to anyone.”
At 32, this might well be his last World Cup but he is confident that Ghana will go a step further and create history by reaching the semifinals. “We will be better next time. Watch out for us in 2014!”
One man, three names. Yes, that’s what Kingson is all about. During his days in Turkey, he ditched the name his parents gave him and became a naturalised citizen. His name then was Faruk Suren. His surname, Kingson, is subject to error.
Ghana got it wrong in the 2006 World Cup when they registered him as ‘Kingston’.
Fortunately, they corrected it on his shirt. At this World Cup, he is registered as Kingson but commentators still call him Kingston.
To add to the confusion, his brother Laryea has settled for Kingston after an error by passport officials.
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