“Manaf Nurudeen needs more games to cement Ghana’s number one spot” - Abukari Damba

Photo Credit: Ghana Football Association

Former Ghana goalkeeper, Abukari Damba says Black Stars shot stopper, Manaf Nurudeen needs more games to cement his position as the nation’s number one.

Nurudeen, who plays for Belgium Pro League club, KAS Eupen, held Ghanaian football followers spellbound with his breathtaking performance in the 2025 AFCON qualifiers. Ghana’s last two Africa Cup of Nations qualifiers against Angola and Niger saw the 25-year-old concede 3 goals after taking the mantle from Lawrence Ati-Zigi.

That notwithstanding, the Black Stars’ 1-1 draw at Angola and a further 2-1 home loss to Niger meant the four time African champions will miss the AFCON for the first time in 20-years.

Abukari Damba said of the lanky goalkeeper: “I wish to express my gratitude to all the goalkeepers who have held the fort for sometime now but I want us to understand that, it is not a one of thing. Goalkeeping is a very sensitive position, it’s a very specialized area, we need to have consistency and consistency will only come about when you play many more games."

“That is what builds your temperament for bigger games, it’s not just about playing one game or two games, you perform well, which makes you an outstanding goalkeeper. Yes it is good to start, along the way you can have some challenges left and right but how are you able to come back, how able to deal with the challenges as and when they come."

“So for me I think they are doing their part, they are doing well but we need to see them in different levels, different games, different opponents, playing under pressure , how they are able to recover after one or two mistakes. So in my opinion it’s about consistency and it is the consistency which is lacking among these goalkeepers.

“Because you cannot be able to tell the performance of a goalkeeper in two or three games. Let’s see them in competitions, let’s see them in tournaments and see how they are able to stand the rest of time.” Abukari Damba told Pan-Africa Football.

Manaf Nurudeen, who rose from the U-20, has made four appearances for the Black Stars as St Gallen goalkeeper, Lawrence Ati-Zigi has been the preferred choice. He has played six matches for KAS this season, conceding 10 times with no clean sheets under his belt.