‘I almost died after being macheted in the head’ – Rennes defender Alidu Seidu

Rennes defender Alidu Seidu (24) recently spoke in an interview with Ouest-France about overcoming adversity after suffering a serious knee injury last November which cut short what was shaping up to be a promising season. After clearing the ball in a match against Lille back in the Autumn, the Ghanian international ruptured his anterior cruciate ligament in his left knee which has forced a long recovery period.

Seidu, who signed for Stade Rennais from Clermont back in January 2024 for €11m, put it all into perspective when he mentioned the violent environment he grew up in the neighborhood of Kumasi, near Ghana’s capital Accra.

“When the injury happened, I was playing regularly, I was in a great mindset, and at the time it was tough because I was in a lot of pain. But I quickly saw it as a challenge. I have been through worse than a cruciate injury in my life,” he explains.

“I grew up in a very tough, very violent area. Being around friends who were into that lifestyle and hanging out on the streets made me a bit aggressive, mean,” said Seidu on his childhood.

An attack that nearly cost him him his life

“We walked the streets with knives or machetes, I committed thefts, vandalism, and small-time trafficking. My mother was always crying, and sometimes I ran away at night to avoid my father punishing me. Fortunately, my uncle was there and pushed me towards football because he knew I had something. He always supported me, and football saved my life!”

One of the most traumatic episodes of his youth was an attack with a machete during a street fight. He was struck on the head and had to be hospitalised for three months. “I lost a lot of blood, I couldn’t speak… Everyone thought I was going to die,” he recalls.

“It puts things into perspective. I’m still lucky to have become a professional player, to be here. I always try to turn the negative side into something positive, it’s in my character.”

GFFN | George Boxall