Former Ghanaian international Kenneth Sarpong has disclosed that Hearts of Oak paid his signing-on fee along with a Man of the Match award following his debut for the team.
Sarpong initially joined Ebusua Dwarfs in 1994, transitioning from Hearts Babies, a colt’s side.
After just one season with Cape Coast’s Ebusua Dwarfs, he made the move to Hearts of Oak in 1995, where he played alongside notable players like Eben Dida, Ishmael Addo, Abladey Kumah, and others.
Sarpong was a part of Hearts of Oak’s renowned “64-battalion” squad that dominated domestic leagues and secured numerous titles, including the CAF Champions League and CAF Super Cup.
In an interview with Dan Kwaku Yeboah, Sarpong revealed that Hearts of Oak had expressed interest in him during his time with Dwarfs. However, he chose to join the Phobians because he was eager to prove his abilities, driven by his deep-rooted passion for the club.
“I signed for Hearts without taking any money and my first game was against Kotoko in Kumasi.
I penned down my contract on Wednesday and the game was on Sunday and they were not able to give me my signing-on fee but promised to settle me on Monday after the game but it finally came on Thursday”.
“We lost the game 2-1 in Kumasi and I was adjudged the Man of the Match after the game. The next day, on Monday, I failed to show you at training until Thursday, when they finally gave me my signing-on fee”, he added.
Kenneth Sarpong played for Ghana’s U17 team (the Black Starlets) at the 1993 FIFA U-17 World Championship in Japan and also played for the Black Stars.