Ghana’s Tariq Lamptey dreams bigger World Cup impact

The 2022 World Cup may have come and gone but Ghana international and Brighton ace Tariq Lamptey is relishing his effort for both club and country while seeing light at the end of the  tunnel.

Lamptey reflected on his World Cup adventure with Ghana and the impressive form of his club side Brighton

“I think I could see it sneaking in,” laughs Tariq Lamptey. He is describing the long-range strike deflected into the net by Lewis Dunk in Brighton’s FA Cup win over Liverpool. “The skip helped me out with a touch. If you can’t get the goal, the assist isn’t bad.”These are not bad times at Brighton and Hove Albion and Lamptey is enjoying his football again. It is two-and-a-half years now since he first lit up the Premier League and though injury disrupted his progress he is ready to shine again under Roberto De Zerbi.

“I feel like I am in good shape,” he tells Sky Sports. “After coming back from the World Cup, I am just trying to build on that with the manager. I am trying to work as hard as I can in training, listening to what he is telling us and bringing that out on the pitch.”

Lamptey is 22 now, still wide-eyed and smiling but with a growing body of work behind him – as that reference to his World Cup winter suggests. He made his debut for Ghana against Brazil in September and went on to make two appearances in Qatar.

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“To be honest, I just tried to soak in the whole experience. As a little boy you dream of playing in a World Cup. I am grateful to God for the opportunity. Before the games you are thinking, I am actually playing in a World Cup here. It was amazing. You are so excited.

“My parents were born in Ghana so it was a proud moment for the whole family. My dad and my brother were in the crowd so I got to see them after a couple of the games. I would like to have got further and got out of the group but hopefully that is for the future.”