Jeffrey Schlupp is delighted to have earned a Ghana call up, describing his debut invitation as "a dream come true".

The 18-year-old Leicester City striker, who turned down an invitation to the German under-19 squad this season was handed his first senior call up by Ghana as the Black Stars prepare for friendlies against Sierra Leone and Gabon in Paris in preparation for the 2012 African Cup of Nations.

Schlupp, born in Hamburg says he always hoped to play for Ghana, where his parents originally hail from.

"I chose to have the Ghana flag on the back of my shirt a while ago because I always hoped I would get the opportunity to play for them, so this is a dream come true," he said as he prepared to join the national camp in Paris.

The young striker has welcomed the chance and plans to seize the opportunity.

"It's an honour and a dream to have this opportunity. My mum and dad are buzzing as much as I am.

"It's important I make the most of the opportunity now. The next step has to be playing well if given the opportunity, carry on working hard to play for Leicester and then hopefully be involved in the Africa Cup of Nations."

Schlupp, recollects telling John Paintsil, his teammate at Leicester and a regular with the Black Stars about his plans of playing for the four-time African champions.

"I told John Paintsil at when he arrived that I wished one day to play for the Black Stars and he told me to keep my head down, keep working hard and see what happened. Now that it's happened, I'm absolutely delighted.

"It will be a different experience for me and another important step in my career so I'm determined to make the most of it. It will be a very different environment, but John has promised to look after me so I should be fine," he said.