Former Bristol City academy goalkeeper Jojo Wollacott will earn some World Cup redemption by jetting out to be with his Ghanaian teammates after a cruel injury ruled him out of the tournament.
The 26-year-old Charlton stopper has emerged as the Black Stars' No1 over the last year and would have undoubtedly started for Otto Addo's side in Qatar. Wollacott was denied his opportunity on the big stage by sustaining a finger injury in the final game before the tournament.
He had surgery on his fractured finger over the weekend and had headed out to the Middle East ahead of their opener against Portugal on Thursday. According to the Ghana FA, Wollacott's involvement will be to help motivate his colleagues as they look to upset the odds against Cristiano Ronaldo and Co.
A statement posted on their official website read: "Joseph Wollacott who is not part of the final squad for the 2022 World Cup will join the team’s base in Qatar for the match against Portugal.
"Goalkeeper Joseph Wollacott will travel to Doha on Tuesday, November 22, to support the Black Stars in their opening Group H match on Thursday. He will join the Black Stars two days before the match against the European country."
The Bristol-born stopper has enjoyed a meteoric rise to the international stage after leaving City. He spent 12 years in BS3 having come through the academy and endured nine loan spells before leaving for Swindon in League Two in the summer of 2021 without making a first-team appearance.
He earned his first call-up to the national side 13 months ago in a 3-1 World Cup qualification win over Zimbabwe and has since cemented his position in the side. Last summer, he joined Charlton on a free transfer where he has continued to impress with the League One side.
Wollacott will reunite with Antoine Semenyo in Qatar with the City striker pushing for a start on Thursday. The 22-year-old scored his first international goal last week in Ghana's 2-0 victory over Switzerland.
He's the only City player representing his country at the World Cup and spoke of his surreal call-up, four years after playing for Bath City in the National League South. He said: "The assistant coach said I had been selected. It felt so surreal, I couldn't believe what he was saying. I thought it was a fake number at one stage.
"When he told me I was so excited and rolled around in my bed and I was so happy. It’s all the hard work that has gone into it. You don’t get so many memories like this, it’s so surreal I am talking about going to the World Cup. I never imagined getting this far."
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