“The Ashanti blood in me made me powerful and a warrior” — Memphis Depay talks about his tribe in Ghana

Memphis Depay, who was born in the Netherlands but is of Ghanaian descent, has talked candidly about his strong African ancestry and his pleasure in being an Ashanti.

The former FC Barcelona and Atletico Madrid center-forward revealed in an interview with ESPN how discovering his Ghanaian roots has impacted his football career.

Depay further revealed that he discovered his African roots only at the age of 23, and he is pleased to have learned about his Ghanaian heritage and the Ashanti clan. 

He only had a brief trip to Ghana when he was two years old, but it wasn't until much later that he was able to learn more about his Ashanti ancestry, which has given him strength and warrior qualities. 

Depay was reared mostly in the Netherlands, but he faced personal struggles in his early years, such as growing up without his father.

“The blood that I carry is from the Ashanti Region which is very powerful, We are warriors" Memphis Depay said on ESPN.

"I didn't get to see my roots until I was 23 because I never went back. The first time i went back I was 2 years old but then some things in life doesnt go how you want it so I was raised basically without my father and everything but it built me, it built my character. And then when I went back to Ghana, I started to find out about my history from my African part because my Dutch part, I know. So my African part, it was quite powerful.”

“The blood that I carry is from Ashanti Region, actually, it's a tribe in Ghana which is powerful, we are warriors. If I'm in Ghana, you have very beautiful places in Ghana, very rich people but you have also very poor. The controversial like this and I go both places and I try to help because I am blessed with some gifts and stuff like that. And that's why I am connected, I am feeling connected, I see the similarities here”

“If you have a platform like I do, I try to speak on it, I try not to shy away because, okay, you see me with the suit, nice tie, whatever but I am also doing behind the scenes, a lot of groundwork," he ended.

Depay, who recently signed for Brazilian club Corinthians FC, has been visiting Ghana every summer since 2018 and has some philanthropic work in the Cape Coast School of the Deaf and Blind.