Humble Ismael says Super White Army have made him feel loved

Believed to be the club's first ever supporter in Ghana, 22-year-old Ismael Iddrisu came to the attention of fans a couple of weeks ago after declaring his love for the Birkenhead club on Twitter.

But since then, not only has he assembled a large army of appreciative fans in Wirral, but the club arranged for a brand new replica shirt to be sent to him and one supporter has even started a crowdfunder to try and get him over to England to see Keith Hill's side in action at Prenton Park.

The Globe arranged a fun day out for Ismael today, as the guest of a representative from the British High Commission, Ian Byrne, who manages the Embassy's football team and is ambassador for football-based charity 'superstars'.

Ian and Ismael in Black Star Square in Accra

Ian, who hails from Wirral himself, took Ismael to The Accra Sports Stadium for a tour of the 40,000 seater multi-use arena. It was the first time that he has ever set foot inside what is effectively Ghana's Wembley.

The pair then headed to Black Star Square - also for the first time ever - where Ghanaians recently celebrated their own independence day on March 6, before enjoying a lunch at the nearby Capitol restaurant in Accra.

Ian interviewed Ismael exclusively for the Globe and discovered why a young man in Ghana had chosen to support, of all teams, Tranmere Rovers.

He said: "I've been following them since 2019 when I saw they had won (at Wembley) and the excitement it created. Then they were fighting to escape relegation and the FA took a decision that was abysmal in my opinion (to relegate the club on a vote).

"I followed them back to the second division, but it was influential to me how they helped the community during the lockdown.

Ismael outside the Accra Sports Stadium. Until today, he had never set foot in it

"I saw a lot of activities helping the local community and that convinced me more to commit myself to Tranmere. Helping people is my number one priority as a man. When I saw them doing that I was so happy to be part of the club."

The self-styled Tranmere 'loyalist' is loving the support and solidarity he has been receiving from the Super White Army, including Tranmere co-owner Nicola Palios.

Ismael said: "Nicola is nice person and all the Tranmere fans are nice to me.

"Yesterday maybe I was nobody. To Tranmere, I've become somebody today."

An online crowdfunder set up by Rovers supporter Richard Davies has already raised over £2,000 of a £3,000 target to try and get Ismael to Birkenhead, something he can barely believe.

"I'm really excited about what the fans have done for me. They love me and I also love them and the club. I pray for them always," he added.

The reason why he is enjoying his social media moment becomes all the more obvious after he explained is own humble background.

Ismael has been loving the support he has received from Tranmere Rovers and their supporters

Ismael lives on his own in Terma - a suburb of Accra - which is in the northern region of Ghana and is the biggest port in West Africa.

To make a living, he has a wheelbarrow which he uses to transport foods such as yams and cassava from the marketplace to the stalls.

To move one wheelbarrow load approximately two to three miles, he charges his customers three Cedis.

Ismael will repeat this trip 10 times a day to earn himself 30 Cedis, which roughly equates to £4 a day. This provides him with just enough to cover food and the rent on his modest digs.

But just like millions of young boys and girls in England, his dream is to play football professionally. He even met our host today with a his passport so he could prove who he was in case anyone wanted to give him a trial as an attacking midfielder.

This Sunday, Rovers head to Wembley Stadium, where they will face Sunderland in the Papa John's Trophy Final.

Ismael isn't able to the watch Tranmere matches live, but instead follows the updates on Twitter before enjoying the match highlights when they are uploaded to YouTube later in the evening.

He did however, have you some words of support for the players.

Ismael believe Tranmere will win at Wembley on Sunday if they 'fight like lions'

He said: "We have some injuries at the moment, but we fight hard and I have no doubt that we are taking the Papa John's trophy.

"I wish the players good luck. They shouldn't fear. They should go all out and fight like lions.

"You have to prove to the fans that you can do it and we are are willing."