Former Ghana winger Laryea Kingston says Black Stars places should be reserved mainly for players competing week in, week out in the world’s top leagues, arguing that national team selection standards must be significantly raised.
Kingston believes representing Ghana must be earned through sustained excellence at club level, not simply through reputation or sporadic appearances.
“If I were the Black Stars coach, I’d look at several factors before selecting players. First, which league are they playing in? Ideally, our national team players should be competing in the top ten leagues. If they aren’t, then they must be exceptional,” Kingston told 3Sports in an exclusive interview.
League level and game time ‘non‐negotiable’
Ghana currently has established internationals spread across major European leagues, with Black Stars regulars active in England, Spain, France, Germany and Italy. But Kingston, who also played for Hearts of Oak, says merely being contracted to a club in those competitions is not enough.
He insists that the decisive factor must be how often players feature, not just the status of their employers.
“Secondly, are they playing regularly? Not just making the squad, but getting minutes every week. That’s how you build a strong national team.”
The 44-year-old argues that continuous involvement at club level is essential preparation for international football and should be regarded as a basic condition for a Black Stars call-up.
According to Kingston, Ghana must prioritise footballers who are both operating in the game’s strongest environments and playing consistently, with only outstanding exceptions considered from outside what he describes as the world’s “top ten leagues”.
Concerns over lack of continuity
Beyond individual selection criteria, Kingston is worried about what he sees as a lack of stability in the national set-up.
He points out that several members of the current Black Stars squad have been involved for more than five years, yet he feels the team still lacks a settled core.
“We already have players who have spent more than five years with the Black Stars, so we have experienced players. But I don’t think we have a settled team. It looks like the players who play in the qualifiers are replaced by new faces before tournaments. That’s not how you build a team,” he added.
In his view, frequent changes between qualification campaigns and major competitions disrupt understanding on the pitch and prevent Ghana from developing the cohesion needed to compete consistently with top sides around the world.
Call for a trusted core
Kingston believes Ghana’s technical team must show greater conviction in a core group of players and avoid making sweeping alterations in the build-up to major tournaments.
“Coaches must be firm and build around a consistent group of players,” Kingston emphasised.
He maintains that Ghana’s path back to the summit of African football lies not in unearthing ever more new faces, but in tightening selection standards, rewarding those who perform at the highest levels over time and allowing a largely settled squad to grow together.
For Kingston, the combination of players drawn primarily from the strongest leagues, guaranteed regular club minutes and long-term continuity within the squad is the formula required for the Black Stars to re-establish themselves among the continent’s leading teams.
