The speedster is back. The razzmatazz is about to begin again. And even though, everything with Patrick Razak has to do with the fast lane, the speedster sits down with us to discuss his return, ambition, and need to get it right this time. So let’s begin.
Somewhere in 2018, Patrick Razak was given an offer he could not refuse from none other than Guinean giants and recent Champions League campaigners Horoya Conakry. Razak had given almost three years to Hearts and saw team mates move out after a successful 2017 WAFU tournament. And so he left too. Just like Hearts, 41 years before him, Guinea was too tough for the youngster.
“I am not making excuses but Guinea was a new world for me. There’s a new language and a new culture all together to adapt to and then I had injury issues on top of that so I could not be as consistent as I would have loved,” Razak says with a tinge of sadness.
“It did not last but I enjoyed it. It was an experience I am not going to forget because no matter what happens in life, you must learn from it. You must take the positives with the negatives. I just thank the club, my teammates and the fans of Horoya for the opportunity they gave me.”
Whereas Guinea did not work out as Razak would have liked, Ghana, and its most prominent club, Accra Hearts of Oak, have given the speedster a way back to relaunch his career. He will not be the first to come back and start from scratch at Hearts. In the last decade, Mahatma Otoo and Winful Cobbinah, have returned to the Phobians from Tunisia (Esperance) and Saudi Arabia (Al Najran) respectively, to kickstart their careers. Otoo in particular reached a dizzy height, winning the goal king in his second coming, before bowing out to Europe in 2013.
“I took the decision to rise again,” Razak insists following in the footsteps of Otoo and Cobbinah. “I don’t want to move too fast so I took time to make the decision to come back to Hearts.”
It could have been with any other club but why Hearts? Razak continues, “I came back to Hearts of Oak because I love the club. It never crossed my mind to go to any club in this country. I am a Phobian, my family is Hearts and the community I come from are all supporters of the club. I couldn’t turn my back and go elsewhere. This is where I want to be and I am happy I am here.”
Since Razak’s exit two years ago, only a handful of players remain. Fatawu Mohammed, Benjamin Mensah, Robert Addo, and Raddy Ovouka have become key figures in the side. And there’s also the issue of the repeated hiatus in the league so how’s Razak enjoying his return?
“My reception has been good since I came back. I met some of the old guys that I was with and some new guys but unfortunately football has been on hold for sometime so the supporters are yet to come to training grounds and the stadium. But I get a lot of love on social media and I can tell most fans are happy with my return to the club.”
The Phobians have shifted their preseason training to Cape Coast, the ancestral home of Ghana football. They have also bolstered their squad with big names like Abednego Tetteh, Nuru Sule, and a host of others but that has not stopped the nagging question that has followed the team over the last 10 years. How do you feel about that?
“So far so good. We have a strong squad and we are working very hard to achieve our aim for the season. We need to find a balance and that’s why we have gone to camp. The players are well aware of the expectations on our shoulders going into the season and we want to end this question. We want to win the league. It’s not just the league but the FA CUP too. We are working hard to reach the final once again and probably win it.
“But we cannot achieve this alone, we need the fans on our side. The fans should pray and support us for this season.”
Razak is still young and he’s at the peak age for a football. In his first coming, we saw a couple of assists and a goal against Kotoko in Kumasi, there’s a match winner in the 2017 FA CUP semi-finals, there some good goals in the league and countless penalties won for the club. But the speedster insists there’s more to come.
“They [the fans]are going to enjoy the return of PR17,” he says with a big grin on his face. “My game is improving and I think I am both a better player and a human being than I was two years ago. I am in good shape. I am training harder and better and I cannot wait for the season to begin. All I pray for is an injury free season.”
The 2020/2021 Ghana Premier League begins in November. And nothing cockles my heart more than the fact that one of the biggest names on the local scene has retraced his way home to Hearts. Let the razzmatazz begin!
By Anwar U. Larry.
