Dundee defender Matt Lockwood has revealed how his summer has proven to be out of this world.
The likeable Englishman, who has agreed a deal to stay with the Dark Blues for the new season, has just been on an unforgettable adventure.
Lockwood snapped up an invitation to play for a world select against Chelsea midfielder Michael Essien’s African superstars in the Peace Match held in Ghana’s capital Accra last month, where he ended up marking none other than Didier Drogba.
As well as the Stamford Bridge marksman, Lockwood lined up against Real Madrid ace Emmanuel Adebayor, former Arsenal frontman Kanu and Drogba’s Chelsea team-mate Salomon Kalou, with African legends such as George Weah, Roger Milla and Tony Yeboah also making appearances.
He was joined in the world side by England defender Ashley Cole, Nigel de Jong of the Netherlands, French frontman Florent Malouda and Swede Freddie Ljungberg, and to make things even more surreal had World Cup winner Marcel Desailly who was born in Ghana but played for France as his manager.
Lockwood finished on the winning side, his team triumphing 4-2 in front of a 40,000 crowd with millions more watching on TV across that vast continent.
The Dens man, who was flown by private jet from London after a friend mentioned his availability to a contact at Chelsea, was mobbed at the airport by hordes of local fans and admits the experience is one he will never forget.
“I have spent part of my summer in Africa, which has been a once in a lifetime experience,” said Lockwood. “I got invited to play for the world XI in the peace game Michael Essien organised in Ghana.
“A friend of mine had been speaking to someone at Chelsea and they said they needed some more players. I told him to mention my name and then I got a call out of the blue telling me I was in.”‘Man-marked Adebayor out of the game…’He joked, “It looks like I might have been making up the numbers but really I think they knew I was the man they needed to handle Drogba and Adebayor.
“It was an amazing experience. We were flown over from London on a private jet and the welcome we got at the airport was like what you see for a president or a rock star.
“The fans were going crazy right through the game and there was a fantastic atmosphere. They are so passionate about football across there.”
He added, “In the game we had superstars like Essien himself, as well as Cole, who nicked my space at full-back, as well as Drogba, Adebayor and Malouda.
“There were also some retired players there as well, guys like George Weah and Tony Yeboah. We won 4-2 in the end and it was a great game.”
Lockwood normally plays left-back for Dundee but was asked by Desailly to stand in at centre-half because he wanted Cole to play in his normal position.
He said, “I pretty much man-marked Adebayor out of the game and put Drogba on his backside at one point. That is my recollection of the game anyway!”‘Something I will never forget’He added, “Michael Essien deserves so much credit for organising it and putting something back into his country. Despite the fact the guys are some of the biggest names in world football they were great to me, everyone was very friendly and were all right behind the cause.
“It’s definitely something I will never forget.”
Lockwood signed a new one-year deal with Dundee this week and is looking forward to getting back to face the more modest challenges set by division one football.
With almost all of the Dens Park players having committed their futures to the club and new faces recruited, the Dark Blues have been installed as joint favourites for promotion with Hamilton Accies.
Lockwood experienced enough during last season’s administration-hit campaign to know they can’t take anything for granted.
“I’m delighted to get my future sorted out,” he said. “Although last season was a rollercoaster it was great to be part of a team who stayed up despite everything that was put in our way. There was a real sense of achievement when we defied the odds to beat relegation.”
He added, “It is great the manager has managed to keep most of the team together. It says a lot about the bond the guys have with the club that almost everyone has decided to stay.
“We have a great spirit in the dressing room and everyone’s aim will be to take the club forward. It has been a hard 12 months for everyone associated with Dundee but we are all just looking to the future now.”