Sulley Ali Muntari has opened up about his childhood struggles, including dealing with bedwetting, a condition of involuntary urination during sleep.
The former Ghana international revealed that he used to suffer from bedwetting, and it was a severe problem that occurred at any time, even during afternoon naps.
Recalling a particular incident when he was around 11 or 12 years old and visiting his aunt in Kumasi, Muntari disclosed that he unexpectedly wet the mat on which he slept, which deeply affected him emotionally.
"My mom took me to my aunt at Abuabo in Kumasi. I was around 11, 12 years, but then I was wetting the bed a lot. It came unknowingly at any time. We could just sleep in the afternoon, not in the evening, then I would just wet the mat; it wasn't even a bed," Muntari shared in an interview with Dan Kwaku Yeboah TV.
The bedwetting situation became an embarrassment and frustration for young Muntari, and it had a profound effect on his self-esteem. Unable to cope with the situation, his aunt eventually sent him back to his hometown, Konongo, which deeply hurt him.
“My aunty sent me back to Konongo, I was really hurt. It was some time that my mom took me that was why I was brought back," Muntari shared.
Despite the childhood challenges, Muntari found his breakthrough in football during his formative years, and with time, his bedwetting issue stopped.
Muntari had an impressive career for Ghana, appearing in three World Cup tournaments, including the country's first-ever in Germany in 2006.
The 38-year-old had success at club level, winning the Champions League and other domestic trophies in Italy and England while playing for Inter Milan, AC Milan, and Portsmouth.