This was the second consecutive year that the German-Ghanaian retired footballer organized this initiative, following the success of the maiden initiative in November 2023.
Some 20 children benefitted from the sponsored surgeries last year, and this year’s program saw an increase in the number of beneficiaries by eight.
The total cost of the surgeries was estimated at €250,000.
The former Schalke 04 player said the inspiration behind this life-saving project was to uphold his pledge to God after he was diagnosed with a heart condition after a game in 1998 when he was still at Hannover ‘96.
The 46-year-old also noted that he wants to continue giving back to society and this was one of the ways he deemed possible since he relates to the challenges the kids go through.
Gerald Asamoah on bet with God
“The reason why I got the foundation was… ‘98[1998] I was a soccer player and after a game, I didn’t feel well and I need[ed] to go to [the] hospital, and they found a heart disease on my heart. And they said it’s over, you can’t play soccer anymore.
“And you know how we Ghanaians are, I was in love with God but I was not so deep in God, and I went to a bet with God. If I should make it to be on the pitch, I want to give something back.
“I came back three and a half months later, and then I said okay God, now I have done this so I want to give something back. So, that’s the reason why I founded this foundation,” he told Zion Felix TV.
Asamoah also admitted there are some challenges in running the foundation, but he’s motivated to do more thanks to the support from his team.
The health professionals left the country on Saturday, November 9, 2024, after successfully operating on the children.
He was the first black man to represent Germany in the FIFA World Cup in 2002, hosted in Korea and Japan.
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