Walk through any stadium tunnel in Europe and you will hear Ghana before you see it. A bit of Twi in the hallway… a flag tucked into a boot bag… a young player on a phone call home after a match in London or Rotterdam. They wear shirts with foreign badges but their talent carries something older. Many of the names the world praises today grew up far from Accra, but Ghana is always a part of them.
Photo: Jeanpierrekepseu, CC BY-SA 4.0 https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0, via Wikimedia Commons
Across Europe sits a generation that could have rewritten any World Cup bracket. Not a fantasy team. A real list of footballers with Ghanaian roots who rose in England, Belgium, Germany, the Netherlands and beyond. Some chose the Black Stars. Many followed the countries where they grew up. That is life in a global sport. Countries compete for identity as much as they compete for goals.
Picture the spine of that imagined XI. A forward line built on raw pace and sharp finishing. A midfield that can break pressure and stretch the game. A back line with the size and reading of defenders shaped in Europe’s toughest leagues. It is is a reminder of how wide Ghana’s football footprint truly is.
Photo: Leicester City players preparing to getting into positions prior to the Charlton Athletic and Leicester City match,.Timmy96, CC0, via Wikimedia Commons
Ghana’s talent is not only abroad. At home, the country continues to produce players who rise from local fields and small clubs into major leagues. Ernest Nuamah of Lyon is 22 years old and has established himself with confirmed Ligue 1 appearances, goals and assists recorded by the club and league. Abdul Fatawu Issahaku at Leicester City has accumulated more than one hundred senior matches across all competitions, with publicly reported tallies of goals and assists that reflect steady growth. Kamaldeen Sulemana has played senior football in Denmark, France and England and is recognised as one of Ghana’s most active wingers in European competition. In defence, Alidu Seidu has made significant senior appearances in France for Clermont Foot and Stade Rennais and holds confirmed caps for the Ghana national team. Young forward Ibrahim Osman has been the subject of confirmed interest and public reporting regarding a potential move to Brighton, with discussions noted in multiple reputable outlets but no finalised transfer publicly announced. In the MLS, Joseph Paintsil has recorded double digit league goals for LA Galaxy, with his performance data verified through official match records.
Photo: FC Red Bull Salzburg vs FC Nordsjaelland, Friendly match on 8 July 2023, Score: 0 to 2Werner100359, CC BY-SA 4.0 https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0, via Wikimedia Commons
These players are examples of current exports who were shaped on local pitches, showing that Ghana continues to develop its own stars through work, pressure and opportunity.
So… what happens when you put both streams together? Add those born abroad to those raised at home? You can see Ghana’s raw talent and modern influence in global football power in ways that numbers alone cannot capture. Ghanaian athletes travel the globe.
If every eligible player had chosen Ghana in the same era, the conversation today would sound different. Not “what if,” but “how far.” Not “almost,” but “why not us.” Players must make choices that expand their career and provide income to provide for their families and future with predictability. It comes down to timing and paperwork, as much as ability. And this is understandable and it’s ok.
Still, the meaning remains. Ghana does produce footballers who can stand anywhere in world football. Whether they line up in red, gold and green or another country’s colors, they represent Ghana. This imagined XI shows how Ghana’s influence runs deeper, and wider, than most people realize.
Sources:
Featured image: Dario Sarmadi, CC BY 2.0 https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0, via Wikimedia Commons
Jeremy Doku, Belgian born to Ghanaian parents
Transfermarkt profile confirming Ghanaian descent
https://www.transfermarkt.com/jeremy-doku/profil/spieler/550349
Antoine Semenyo, Born in England, Ghana national team
Bournemouth club page
https://www.afcb.co.uk/players/men/antoine-semenyo/
Nico Williams, Born in Spain to Ghanaian parents
Athletic Bilbao official
https://www.athletic-club.eus/en/players/inaki-nico-williams
Mohammed Kudus, Ghana national team, West Ham
West Ham United official
https://www.whufc.com/player/mohammed-kudus-0
Kobbie Mainoo, Ghanaian parents, England international
BBC Sport profile
https://www.bbc.com/sport/football/67971642
Thomas Partey, Ghana national team
Arsenal official
https://www.arsenal.com/men/players/thomas-partey
Benjamin Henrichs, German player with Ghanaian father
RB Leipzig official
https://rbleipzig.com/en/team/players/benjamin-henrichs/
Isak Hien, Swedish defender with Ghanaian roots
Transfermarkt profile
https://www.transfermarkt.com/isak-hien/profil/spieler/531678
Mohammed Salisu, Ghana national team, Monaco
AS Monaco official
https://www.asmonaco.com/en/joueurs/mohammed-salisu/
Jeremie Frimpong, Dutch player of Ghanaian descent
Bayer Leverkusen official
https://www.bayer04.de/en-us/players/frimpong
Robin Owusu-Oduro, Ghanaian descent, Dutch youth football
Transfermarkt
https://www.transfermarkt.com/robin-owusu-oduro/profil/spieler/746410
Ernest Nuamah, Ghana national team, Lyon
Olympique Lyonnais
https://www.ol.fr/en/our-teams/ernest-nuamah
Abdul Fatawu Issahaku, Ghanaian winger, Leicester City
Leicester City official
https://www.lcfc.com/players/67290/abdul-fatawu-issahaku/profile
Kamaldeen Sulemana, Ghana national team, Southampton
Southampton FC official
https://www.southamptonfc.com/en/teams/mens-first-team/kamaldeen-sulemana
Alidu Seidu, Ghanaian defender, Stade Rennais
Stade Rennais official
https://www.staderennais.com/en/alidu-seidu
Ibrahim Osman, Ghanaian forward signing for Brighton
Brighton announcement
https://www.brightonandhovealbion.com/news/3733718/albion-sign-ibrahim-osman
Joseph Paintsil, Ghanaian winger, LA Galaxy
LA Galaxy official
https://www.lagalaxy.com/players/joseph-paintsil/
