Former Ghana international Augustine Arhinful has opened up about the profound impact of losing his wife and how he navigated through the challenging period of grief.

Tragically, Barbara Arhinful, the wife of the ex-footballer, passed away at the age of 32 following a brief illness while receiving treatment at the 37 Military Hospital in 2009.

Her untimely death left Arhinful, who had retired from football just a year earlier, deeply devastated.

Recalling the difficult time, Arhinful revealed that he found himself questioning and grappling with his faith.

However, he found solace and guidance through a poignant sermon delivered by a pastor during the one-week ceremony for his late wife.

"I was in the Lord and it was difficult, but I understood. After the one-week ceremony of my wife, I listened to a pastor preaching about death and it felt like he was talking to me.

I was asking God a lot of questions but the preaching did the magic for me," Arhinful shared in an interview with Dan Kwaku Yeboah TV.

Amidst the overwhelming grief, Arhinful faced the responsibility of breaking the heartbreaking news to his children.

Despite advice to temporarily relocate them from their home, he chose to confront the situation directly, gathering his children to deliver the devastating news with honesty and composure.

"When my wife died, there were people who asked me to take my children away from home but I didn’t do it," he recounted.

"I gathered them in my bedroom one afternoon and told them that their mother didn’t survive a short sickness. I told them I wanted them to comport themselves and not cry. They just said thank you and that was it. They know their mom is no more, but they have never complained."

Arhinful, who represented Ghana at the Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) and the Olympics during his football career, exemplifies resilience and strength in the face of adversity, drawing upon faith, family, and personal fortitude to navigate through the darkest moments of life.