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Former Ghana President John Kuffour has hailed Stephen Appiah as a ‘true leader’ in the way he led the Black Stars to achieve greatness.

Appiah was at the residence of the former Head of State on Thursday afternoon to invite him to his upcoming testimonial match.

The testimonial match which is being organized by Primeval Media is being used by the former Juventus star to thank his fans for their support after announcing his retirement from football.

Appiah is best remembered for his selflessness and immense leadership skills that saw the Black Stars qualify for its first ever World Cup finals in 2006.

The now 34-year-old then had a close working relationship with the former President in galvanizing the Black Stars team into World Cup qualification.

President Kuffour recounts the obvious natural instincts of leadership embedded in Appiah during their meeting on Thursday.

“I have known Appiah even before he became the captain of the Black Stars and you could clearly tell he is a true leader,” the former President noted.

“Anytime I used to visit the team I often took him aside to encourage him into motivating his team to do their best for the nation.

“And when you see them on the field, it was clear that the players were more or less taking instructions from him.

“Today you come into my house with a delegation that will make any politician envious.

“This is a mark of a great leader.”

The Stephen Appiah Testimonial match is slated to take place on June 27 in Accra.

The game which is expected to draw some of the top former and current footballers will be preceded by an A-list dinner at the State Banquet Hall on the eve of the game.