After gaining an invite for the preparatory matches, the teenage defender is now itching to make the cut for the final squad roster ahead of the upcoming juvenile continental showpiece next month
Canadian-born Ghanaian starlet Kenneth Osei Bonsu Amankwa has said it would be a great honour to play at the AFCON for Ghana U-17 national football team if he is selected for the 2026 U-17 Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) tournament slated for May 13 to June 2, 2026 in Morocco.
The promising centre-back, current plying his club trade with Dutch Eredivisie outfit Excelsior Rotterdam, says representing the juvenile side at the showpiece would mean a lot to him as that alone would generate an internal good feelings in making his parents and grandparents proud.
The teenager asserted that he would be disappointed if not selected as he always gives 100% in training every day so as to prove his worth as a potential squad member by catching the eyes of the technical team ahead of the final squad selection.
Speaking in an interview, the budding defender told Citi Sports: ''I think it means a lot to represent the country where I’m from and where my dad is from, to play for them at a high level. It feels good internally, and it also makes my parents and grandparents proud.''
He added: ''lf selected, it would be a great honour to play at the AFCON for Ghana. I give 100% in training every day to prove I belong here, and then see what happens. Of course I would be disappointed if I’m not selected, but I’ll take the lessons and use them to improve.”
The two-time African champions have been paired alongside Senegal, South Africa and Algeria in Group D following Wednesday's group phase draw in Cairo, Egypt.
Right after the draw, the Ghana FA said in an excerpt of a statement: ''The Black Starlets head into the competition with a proud history in the continental showpiece as the second most successful nation in the tournament’s history, having lifted the trophy twice in 1995 and 1999 while also finishing as runners-up in 2005 and 2017.''
