Ahmed Apimah Barusso was among the shining lights of the Italian Serie A, B and C -- featuring for the likes of Rimini, AS Roma, Genoa, Torino, and loan stints at Siena, Brescia, Livorno, Novara and others.
Before moving to Italy, Barusso began his career at Nania - under the guardianship of Abedi Ayew Pele.
The no nonsense defensive midfield gun was known to give out key passes when on the field of play, and speaking to Dan Kwaku Yeboah TV he credited his development to Abedi Ayew Pele.
According to the 40-year-old, Pele's advice and tutelage made him realise the steep difference between Ghanaian and European football, and that the experience made him a tougher and better player.
"I owe my determination, robustness, and hunger to achieve success to Abedi Pele and Coach Prince," he stated.
"Abedi always told me that to be the best, I had to do ten times what the white man does; otherwise, I would never get the chance to play. Those words have stayed with me, and every time I stepped on the pitch, I gave my everything," he remarked.
Apimah Barusso reminisced how Abedi Ayew Pele stood on his grounds not accepting an offer from Liberty Professionals coach Sellas Tetteh, predicting he was going to play in Europe.
"Abedi once turned down Sellas’ proposal to bring me to Liberty because he felt they wouldn’t be able to develop my football properly. He predicted that I would play in Europe."
Apimah Barusso was part of the Ghanaian Olympic Team, known as the Black Meteors that qualified for the 2004 Summer Olympic Games in Greece. He went ahead to feature in six games for the Black Stars, notching two goals.
By: Pascal Amoah
