Mick McDermott ya rayu rayuka da yawa a cikin ƙwallon ƙafa — daga titunan Belfast har zuwa gurbin karatu a Rhode Island, ta hanyar lokuta a Abu Dhabi da Qatar, nasarar kofin tare da Glentoran, ɗan lokaci a League of Ireland, kuma yanzu zama a tawagar Carlos Queiroz a matsayin mai kula da aikin Ghana a Kofin Duniya na FIFA 2026.

"Tafiya daga Belfast zuwa Rhode Island zuwa Gabas ta Tsakiya zuwa Glentoran zuwa Qatar zuwa Cobh Ramblers zuwa Ghana da kuma dawowa Rhode Island a cikin shekaru 30 labari ne mai ban sha'awa," in ji ɗan shekara 52 ga Thomas Kane na BBC Sport NI, yana magana daga Providence — sansanin Ghana a gasar.

Tafiya da ta fara a Providence

Zaɓin Rhode Island a matsayin sansanin Ghana ba na haɗari ba ne ga McDermott, wanda ya yi karatu a University of Rhode Island ta hanyar gurbin karatu na ƙwallon ƙafa, ya sadu da matarsa Karla a can, kuma ya zauna shekaru shida a jihar kafin aikinsa na horarwa ya kai shi ƙasashe daban-daban.

"Na zauna a Rhode Island, na buga ƙwallon ƙafa a jami'a ta hanyar gurbin karatu. Karla tana buga ƙwallon raga, a can ne muka sadu muka auri juna," ya tuna. "Ban dawo tun dogon lokaci ba. Duniya ƙaramar ce."

McDermott yana shirye zama malami lokacin da wata matsayi ta horarwa a University of Oregon ta canza komai. "Na ɗauki aikin kocin a University of Oregon kuma daga nan, ba tsammani, ta hanyar haɗin kai, na sami tayin zuwa Abu Dhabi ya canza rayuwata," in ji shi.

Haɗin gwiwar shekara goma tare da Queiroz

Alaƙar McDermott da Queiroz ta fara a shekarar 2011, lokacin da wani mutum na bangarorin biyu — tsohon babban kocin sa a USL na Amurka, wanda kuma ya yi aiki a matsayin kocin tsaro na dogon lokaci na Queiroz — ya kawo su tare. McDermott yana aiki a Abu Dhabi lokacin da suka sadu a Doha kuma suka yarda su ɗauki Iran tare.

Tun daga nan haɗin gwiwar ya ƙunshi Iran sau biyu, Qatar, kuma yanzu Ghana — da McDermott ya ɗauke karko a tsakanin don lashe Irish Cup tare da Glentoran da kuma horar da Cobh Ramblers a League of Ireland First Division.

"Mu ne nan kuma, wani kyakkyawan aiki tare da ƙasar ƙwallon ƙafa mai ban sha'awa. Wannan dama ce da ban tsammanin kowa zai iya ƙi ba," in ji shi game da aikinsa a Ghana.

Shirye-shiryen gaggawa, farawa mai nasara

An nada Queiroz a watan Afrilu, amma ma'aikatun horo ba su sami cikakkiyar ƙungiyar 'yan wasa 26 ba sai 30 Mayu. Ghana sun yi cikakken horo ɗaya kawai kafin zanen 1-1 da Wales a ranar 2 Yuni — jerin 'yan wasa sun riga sun ƙaddamarwa kafin wannan wasan abokantaka — sannan suka tashi ƙasa zuwa Amurka kashegari.

Duk da waɗannan ƙuntatawa, Ghana sun buɗe kamfen ɗinsu a Rukunin L da nasara ta 1-0 akan Panama a Toronto, inda Caleb Yirenkyi ya ci a minti na 95. McDermott ya danganta wani ɓangare na wannan nasarar ga ƙwarjin ƙungiyar da ya wuce gona da iri.

"Dare kafin wasan Panama, sun yi addu'a da waka. Waka ta fara a filin wasa, ta ci gaba a lokacin tafiyar bas ɗin minti 30 zuwa otal, kuma da zarar suka fara ba su tsaya ba — ya ci gaba tsawon sa'a ɗaya da rabi. Ƙafata ta fara taka da kanta!" ya ba da labari.

England a gaban — Ghana ba su ji tsoro ba

Wasan Ghana na biyu a Rukunin L zai kawo su bisa England a Foxborough. McDermott ya yarda da ingancin The Three Lions, yana nuni da nasararsu ta 4-2 a kan Croatia a matsayin shaida ta ikon kai hari ɗinsu, amma yana ganin cewa nauyin matsin lamba yanzu yana kan England bayan nasarar Ghana ta buɗe.

"'Yan wasanmu suna buga a manyan kulob-kulob kuma a manyan wasanni. Ba za mu je buga England muna jin tsoro ba — yaran suna da imani. Lokacin da labule ya buɗe dole ne ka yi rawa kuma ina ganin yaran sun fi iya samun sakamako," in ji shi.

A tsakiyar barazanar kai hari ta Ghana akwai ɗan wasan reshe na Manchester City Antoine Semenyo, ɗan wasan ƙasa da ƙasa mai kambun 35, wanda McDermott ya bayyana shi a matsayin ɗaya daga cikin 'yan wasa mafi fashewa da ya taɓa aiki da su. "A fuskar baiwarsa ta ƙwallon ƙafa, shi ne wataƙila mafi fashewa daga cikin 'yan wasan da na ga da idona su tafi daga tafiya zuwa gudu cikakke — yana da ƙarfi sosai. Yana da ikon, idan yana cikin mafi kyawun hallinsa, ya cutar da duk wani baya na ƙarshen duniya."

McDermott ya ƙara da cewa Ghana na da 'yan wasa biyar ko shida masu wannan gudu iri ɗaya mai fashewa — makamai wanda ya yi imani suna iya yin wahala ga kowane tawaga a gasar.