Kumasi: Former Asante Kotoko head coach, Prosper Narteh Ogum, has revealed that family pressure, particularly from his parents, compelled him to abandon his aspirations of becoming a professional footballer in favor of focusing on education during his formative years.
According to Ghana Web, Ogum, who began playing football as a centre forward at a young age, quickly gained recognition for his skills on the field. His talent earned him nicknames such as 'Ronaldo' and other famous footballers' names from his peers. Despite his passion for the sport and his dream of pursuing a professional football career after college, his mother opposed this path, urging him to concentrate on his studies instead.
Ogum expressed, "I think it is all about passion. It's about the drive to do what makes me happy. As a child, I wanted to be a footballer. I was a centre forward. In secondary school, I was called Van Basten. At college, I was called Ronaldo. I wanted to be a professional footballer, but family pressure, especially from my mum, made me stop and focus on my education," he shared during an episode of the GFA Podcast with Patrick Akoto.
Despite stepping away from playing football, Ogum found success in his coaching career. He began by leading Elmina Sharks to qualify for the Division One League in 2013 and had a brief stint with Ebusua Dwarfs before taking a break to pursue a PhD. He also managed Karela United and WAFA SC, guiding them to a third-place finish in the 2020/21 season. His most notable achievement came when he won the Ghana Premier League title with Asante Kotoko in the 2021/2022 campaign, which earned him the Coach of the Season and Ghana Football Awards Men's Coach of the Year in 2022.