There are times when the captaincy of Ghana's football team appears almost as significant a position as the country's presidency and Stephen Appiah is only too aware of the responsibilities that come with wearing the Black Stars' armband.

Appiah became captain leading up to the 2004 Olympic Games in Athens and has handled the task with a humility which has rubbed off on the rest of the squad.

He may not be able to match the skills of the legendary Abedi Pele, the most famous wearer of the captain's armband, but he has done a remarkable job in helping coach Ratomir Dujkovic unite the national squad.

Gone are the dressing-room divisions of days gone by and the reward is a place for Ghana at their first FIFA World Cup™ finals.

Appiah's performances en route to Germany only underlined his importance to his country, the captain contributing four goals in qualifying – more than any other midfielder in the African Zone.

The left-footed Appiah has a fierce shot and scored a memorable goal against Italy at the Olympics.

This season he produced a similar strike for his Turkish club Fenerbahce against Schalke in the UEFA Champions League, flashing a volley into the top corner from outside the box.

And this on his 'wrong' right foot. Of course, it goes without saying that Appiah's game is about more than goals – nicknamed 'The Tornado' he is an all-rounder with great vision and distribution.

Prior to joining Fenerbahce last summer, the 25-year-old Appiah had spent the best part of his playing career in Italy.

He joined Udinese from the Accra club Hearts of Oak aged just 16 and spent three seasons there before moving to Parma in 2000.

It was on landing on loan at Brescia for the 2002/03 campaign, however, that he really began to prove his worth.

He shone in the Brescia midfield, providing a defensive platform for Roberto Baggio while also getting forward to score seven goals, and his efforts attracted the attention of Juventus, where he subsequently moved in summer 2003.

Two years on and Appiah was on the move again last summer to Istanbul to join Fenerbahce in an €8m transfer.

Some in Ghana said this was a step down but the sight of 3,000 fans gathered at the airport to welcome him must have provided some reassurance – not to mention the club's continued presence at the top of the Turkish Superleague.

"I have no regrets at all about joining Fenerbache," he said.

It seems unlikely he should have any regrets right now.

Whatever Ghana's fate in the CAF African Nations Cup – and their under-strength side lost their opening match to Nigeria before bouncing back to beat Senegal on Friday – the future looks bright for their captain.

Germany is on the horizon and with Appiah delivering the orders, there seems no risk of Ghana losing their focus.