Feature: Top Ten Ghanaian Footballers

Michael Essien in action for Chelsea Football Club

They united a continent, and some might say the world, with their performances at the World Cup in South Africa last summer.

Tuesday night Ghana bring their vibrant style of play to Wembley as they look to build on the exploits of the summer.

While they may not yet have a history of stellar success at the international table, the last decade has seen a new generation of Ghanaian stars build on the work, influence and careers of their less well-known predecessors.

Paying tribute to some of those names, Sport.co.uk takes a look at the ten top names in Ghanaian football history.

Abédi Pelé

Ghanaian attacking midfielder Abédi Pelé was blessed with ridiculously good technique, a deadly eye for goal and the confidence to take the ball and make something happen. He’s best remembered for his two glorious spells at Marseille in the late ’80s and early ’90s (including many memorable goals) as well as his African Cup of Nations win with Ghana in 1982. He remains the Ghana national team’s highest ever scorer with 33 goals and is widely regarded as the greatest football talent to come out of Africa. Given the abundance of talent which has emanated from the continent in recent years, including the likes of Didier Drogba and Samuel Eto’o, that is high praise indeed.

Michael Essien

One of the most recognisable names in African football Michael Essien has been a powerhouse on the European stage with both Lyon and Chelsea. Comfortable in central midfield he has demonstrated his versatility at club level by playing at right-back, centre-back and on the wing. A former winner of the African Footballer of the Year award , Essien is a supremely talented box-to-box midfielder whose all action displays have earned him the intimidating nickname ‘The Bison’. His boundless energy and remarkable versatility have made this fearless Ghanaian one of the most prized players on the planet. Such is his athleticism that despite predominantly playing in a defensive midfield position he often finds himself in a position to score; 33 goals in 249 regular season appearances proving the point. Essien’s true strength though lies in breaking up the attacks of opponents with his relentless and fearless tackling. It’s a combination of these qualities that mark him down as one of the finest all-around players in the modern game.

Tony Yeboah

Encouraged to play football as a youngster by his father, himself a former professional player in Ghana, Tony Yeboah’s career eventually led him to Germany in 1988 where where he became only the second black person to play professionally in the Bundesliga. After moving to Leeds United in the mid-nineties he quickly assured himself cult status after developing a reputation for spectacular volleyed goals –who can forget the belters against Wimbledon and Liverpool. Today, Yeboah lives in Ghana, where he runs a hotel called “Yegoala” in the capital city of Accra. When asked by The Times why he is no longer heavily involved in football, he said “I was thinking about the future of the Ghanaian people — people who have no work, people who supported me throughout my football career. So I wanted to do something to employ the people and in Accra I now have some 50 employees.” Since 2006, he has helped organise, and played in, an annual charity football match, the “Anthony Baffoe XI vs Anthony Yeboah XI,” and tutors a number of young Ghanaian strikers.

Karim Abdul Razak

Razak, who played for clubs in the UAE, Egypt and Côte d’Ivoire, was ranked by the Confederation of African Football (CAF) in 2007 as one of the association’s 30 best footballers of the previous 50 years. In 1975, he moved to Ghana’s most successful club, Asante Kotoko. Popularly called “Golden Boy”, Razak was ever present for the Ghanaian national team, which eventually won the 1978 African Cup of Nations. His homeland’s success provided the platform for his own personal accolade in the same season when he was named -African Footballer of the Year. Razak left Ghana in 1979 for the New York Cosmos of the NASL, where he played alongside former World Cup winners Franz Beckenbauer and Carlos Alberto.

Stephen Appiah

Stephen Appiah has played in some of the most prestigious competitions in world football – most notably while on the books of Italian giants Juventus. The two-time Ghana Footballer of the Year has graced the UEFA Champions League, Coppa Italia and the Turkish Super Cup tournaments during his club career and has matched this experience on the international stage. The cultured midfielder first represented his country at the FIFA under-17 World Cup in 1995 and went on to play in the same competition in ’97 and ’99 before donning a senior jersey for the Olympics in 2004 and the 2006 and 2010 World Cups. All this while at the same time trying to overcome a troublesome knee problem which has seen him fail medicals at several Premier League clubs. As Brazilian legend Pele recently reflected: “Appiah is one of the most gifted footballers of all time, and it is a pity that he has been hampered by injury throughout his career”.

Samuel Kuffour

One of the most decorated African players of all time, Samuel ‘Sammy’ Kuffour made his name as an ever present member of Bayern Munich’s first team during an 11 year career at the Bavarian outfit. Such was the centre-back’s longevity he even matched Mehmet Scholl’s record as the club’s longest serving player. A member of the Bayern side which lost to Manchester United’s two last gasp goals in the 1999 Champions League final in Barcelona – nobody will forget the way he demonstrated his frustration by beating the ground – he eventually won Europe’s top honour two years later beating Valencia on penalties. Already crowned Ghanaian Player of the Year in 1998 and 1999 Kuffour crowned a terrific career by scoring the winning goal in the final of the Intercontinental Cup in 2002. His record of 60 appearances in the Champions League stands as a record for a player from Africa.

Asamoah Gyan

If one player symbolised Ghana’s run to the quarter-final of last summer’s World Cup it was Asamoah Gyan. While his goals saw him turn the heads of Europe’s top clubs, his penalty miss in the dying seconds of injury time against Uruguay earned him the kind of infamy which could haunt him for the rest of his career. Gyan played much of the tournament alone up front and finished with three goals before fluffing his lines at the crucial moment with the chance to send his country to the semi-finals at the expense of Uruguay. Despite the mishap Sunderland boss Steve Bruce still felt Gyan a decent punt at £13 million and subsequently signed the striker from French side Rennes. He has since taken to the Premier League like a duck to water – perhaps we shouldn’t be surprised, he was crowned African Footballer of the Year for 2010.

Nii Lamptey

Nii Lamptey was a teenage prodigy in his homeland, but also a prime example of putting too much pressure on a player of such a young age. He is known foremost for his erratic career, in which he became a superstar as a teenager and then suffered a long string of failures which burnt him out well before his time. He was hailed as the new Pelé playing for Anderlecht in Belgium as he quickly established himself as a prolific scorer, dazzling onlookers with his flashy play and obvious talent. After two highly spectacular seasons, he was transferred to PSV Eindhoven, where he made a similar impact and awed fans and experts with his game. A controversial move to Aston Villa came in 1994 but Lampety was never able to live up the expectation that surrounded his transfer. He went on to join a string of lower status clubs. This began a vicious circle that the honest but naive Lamptey could not break. An immense talent which failed to live up to its undoubted potential.

Sulley Muntari

Muntari first made a name for himself at the FIFA under-20 World Cup in 2001 when Ghana finished as runners-up to hosts and eventual winners Argentina. This then persuaded Alex Ferguson to give the young Ghanaian a trail at Manchester United, but after a seemingly successful stay with the Red Devils he eventually was snapped up by Udinese in Italy in 2001. After one season in the reserves he forced his way into first team contention and became a regular for Udinese over the next five years earning rave reviews from all corners. With his midfield dynamism and combativeness he has always proved a real handful for the opposition. After a two year stay with Italian giants Inter Milan, the former Portsmouth man is now on loan with at Sunderland with fellow Ghanaian superstar Asamoah Gyan.

Ibrahim Sunday

Central midfielder Sunday, was first called up into the Ghanaian national team in 1996. He was a key member of the 1968 Africa Cup of Nations team that got to the final, scoring in the semis in a 4-3 win against the Ivory Coast. The Black Stars eventually lost in the final to the Democratic Republic of Congo, but Sunday’s performances throughout the competition earned him player of the tournament. In 1971, while playing for Ghanaian club Kotoko, Sunday was named African Footballer of the Year by French magazine France Football, being the first of three Ghanaian footballers that have earned such distinction to date. His consistent displays for hometown club Kotoko earned a transfer to German Bundesliga giants Werder Bremen where in two seasons he barely had any playing time, appearing in only one league match during his two year stay with the club.

By Luke Gibson (sport.co.uk)