The 37-year-old former Schalke 04 striker says he chose to play for Germany to ‘make a difference’.
Ghana-born ex-Germany international Gerald Asamoah has revealed why he pledged his international future to Die Mannschaft ahead of the Black Stars.
Born in the Ghanaian town of Mampong, Asamoah moved to Germany as a 12-year-old, eventually representing the current world champions at the 2002 and 2006 editions of the Fifa World Cup.
“The idea of making a difference and showing that you can play for Germany no matter where you come from motivated my decision,” Asamoah told Fifa.com.
“It wasn’t an easy decision to follow that path, because I knew it would be difficult. I was simply following my gut instinct because I felt so at home in this country.
“The important thing for me was that the people around me always accepted me for who I am. And when you see all the guys who play for Germany today and the range of different backgrounds they have, it shows that perhaps I did actually play a part in that – and that makes me very proud.”
Asamoah became the first African-born black player to debut for Die Mannschaft in a friendly with Slovakia in 2001.
He said: “In my case, I was lucky enough to be the first black African-born footballer to play for Germany, and although I also encountered a lot of negativity, I stood up to it. I was always a role model.
“Football really helped me when I arrived in Germany from Ghana at the age of 12 because it meant I had contact with people from the start.”
Asamoah boasts of 43 caps with six goal for Germany.
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