Roger de Sa Reveals Carlos Queiroz Call That Secured Ghana Role

The newly appointed Ghana assistant coach, Roger de Sa, reflects on the call that got him the post, a post that will make him the first South African coach to go to three FIFA World Cups.

The Call

Earlier this month, De Sa was announced as assistant coach of Ghana, a team that will compete in the upcoming 2026 FIFA World Cup in the United States of America and Mexico.

De Sa will be going to his third FIFA World Cup as coach, the first to achieve the feat amongst South African coaches.

In an exclusive interview with SportsBoom, De Sa relived the call that got him the assistant coach role for the Ghana national team, a team widely respected for the sheer volume of world-class players it produces.

De Sa says he was sleeping when his phone rang with Carlos Queiroz’s message, a message in which he was offered the post.

Queiroz and De Sa have come a long way, having worked together for the most part of the past two decades across multiple national teams, including Bafana Bafana, Egypt, Portugal and Iran. 

The 61-year-old told SportsBoom that the first person he shared the news with was his wife.

“I got the news overnight. I received a message from Carlos Queiroz basically asking me if I was up for a big challenge again, and he asked me to call him as soon as I woke up,” De Sa told SportsBoom.co.za.

“He basically told me that, look, the Ghana national team was looking for his services, and obviously, he would require me to go and assist him, and it was not a very difficult decision to make and accept." 

“Then, of course, having read the message very early hours of the morning, the first person I told was my wife, just to let her know that there would be a strong possibility that this would happen and that it was another World Cup and my seventh national team. I think she's become pretty accustomed to this." 

“It’s always a great honour to be part of the fantastic national team in the World Cup once again. It is a privilege, and I enjoy every day and make the most of it.”

Coaching Big Names

In his coaching career, De Sa has worked with some of the big names going around in world football at the moment.

Those names include Egypt’s Mohamed Salah, who is a Liverpool legend and a legend of African football.

Reflecting on his career, De Sa highlighted that he was never a big dreamer as many would have assumed. The 61-year-old pointed out that what has worked for him and continues to work is his desire to win in competition and in training.

“As far as milestones are concerned, I know I'm a triple international and obviously being involved with seven national teams, and I’ve coached players like (Mo) Salah and Ronaldo and a couple of other big guys and having been to two World Cups,” said De Sa.

“I've never had big dreams, to be honest with you, as a kid. It was always to just win every day, win every match, win every training session and try to win every competition. It has been about just having that type of mentality all the time and trying to do the best I can in every single moment. That's how it's been throughout my career and life.”