Ghanaian forward Joseph Paintsil has opened up about the racist abuse he has suffered online during his recent goal drought at LA Galaxy, describing some of the messages as deeply personal and disturbing.
Paintsil ended his dry spell in emphatic fashion on Friday night, scoring twice in Galaxy’s 3-0 win over Vancouver Whitecaps.
His first came via a superb curler in the 60th minute before sealing the win from the penalty spot with 13 minutes to go.
Despite the strong performance, the 27-year-old revealed the toll that online abuse has taken.
“There is always a backlash and a lot of comments calling me ‘Monkey’ and someone, they will kill my mom and all these kind of things,” Paintsil said after the match. “But this is something that is always; footballers are going to go through. I take it in hand. I just keep focusing.”
He added: “I cannot do everything in this club. I will just do what I have to do and leave the rest to God and He will handle the rest.”
Paintsil, who played a key role in LA Galaxy’s MLS title win last season, has now scored three goals in 14 appearances in the 2025 campaign
