Is there a Rovers fan in Ghana?

A Rovers fan in Ghana? Yes and his name’s Idrissu.

I spoke to Idrissu Ismael, a Rovers fan from Ghana who sees his name sit on a flag of his nation in the Kop to see when, why and how he became a Tranmere supporter. 

His story is one that has surprised many people throughout the course of this campaign, as at first people were questionable of whether his social media account was real or not. Nowadays, through further media interaction, we know he’s definitely real. This has been celebrated by the owners sending shirts to him and others setting up a fundraiser to bring him to Merseyside.

‘I started following Tranmere with a passion during last season, I remember we weren’t good at the start of that campaign. However, we were doing well towards the end. I thought that, with the way we were playing, we would’ve escaped relegation. I was praying for them to avoid the drop because when they started winning I was happy and excited and wanted to see them win even more’.

Idrissu has a passion for the sport away from Rovers as well, he’s a footballer and places many of his pictures up for people (now) across the globe to see on his social media.

‘I’m a football player, I met a Tranmere fan on Instagram and we talked. I told him how happy I will be if he could help with linking me to the club. My lifelong dream is to play at Prenton Park, hopefully at a professional level for the first team’.

Nicola Palios has since tweeted that it wouldn’t be possible for him to play for Tranmere. I’ve lost the reason why, if I was to take a guess it may be to do with visa issues etc. However, fans who have placed money on the fundraiser to get him over here have also said that his side should come over to the Wirral so Idrissu’s dream of playing at Prenton Park can be achieved.

Speaking of players characteristics that he admires, he says that he’s impressed by Scott Davies’ leadership qualities. ‘He’s an angel in the team, he has to serve the club for a long time and I hope he pursues a coaching career once he retires from his current role and one day becomes the team’s goalkeeping coach’. 

I said that the experienced keeper has a coaching school, to which he replied ‘that’s great, hopefully it grows as he begins to focus on it more and more. I bet young keepers in the area of clubs he has played for will be intrigued and excited to be coached by him’.

Our conversation finished by talking about last season’s ‘demotion’ and his hopes for the remainder of the season. ‘The decision made by the FA hurts me until this day but I think that we can turn that around by achieving promotion this season. The current squad is packed full of quality’.

Idrissu, doing what he does best, playing football on the streets and fields of Accra, Ghana.