Eddie Nketiah’s rise in football has been defined by resilience, faith, and self-belief values instilled in him by his Ghanaian parents
Born in Lewisham, Greater London, to Ghanaian parents, Nketiah grew up in Deptford, where he first developed his love for football. He joined Chelsea’s academy at nine while playing for Hillyfielders but faced an early setback when the club released him in 2015. However, Arsenal saw his potential, and he made his first-team debut in 2017. He also had a loan spell at Leeds United, where he contributed to their Championship-winning campaign.
Speaking as part of NBC Sports’ By Way of Africa series, Nketiah reflected on his upbringing and the values instilled in him.
“My mom and dad have always told me to have confidence in myself, in my abilities, and also to have faith in God. That’s been a really big part of my upbringing, and I think that resilience and tenacity come from there,” he said.
“Once you have that confidence in yourself and belief in God, if you work as hard as you can, opportunities will always arise. I’ve always known that things are never going to come easy in life, and you have to work for them. But if you work hard enough, there’s always a reward on the other side,” he added.
