Black Stars midfielder Lawrence Agyekum has shed light on his close relationship with fellow Ghanaian and Cercle Brugge teammate Abu Francis, stating that there is no rivalry between the two despite playing similar roles for both club and country.
Speaking in an interview with JoySports, Agyekum revealed that he looked up to Abu Francis when he joined the Belgian side, crediting his experience and leadership on and off the pitch.
I saw him as someone who can really help me because he has much experience. So I looked up to him, Agyekum said.
Often, players from the same country in foreign clubs are perceived as direct competitors for playing time, but Agyekum insists his relationship with Abu Francis has been different.
When people tend to have their countrymen on the same team, they see it to be a competition, but I didn’t see him [Abu Francis] as that, he emphasized.
Interestingly, Agyekum admitted that he initially wasn’t aware Abu Francis was already at Cercle Brugge when he signed for the club.
When everything was done, I went through the club’s profile to see if there is a player I can relate with; that was when I followed up with him and met him at the club.