10 Most Talented Ghanaian Players Who Should Have Been Very Successful Abroad
- Three players dazzled in the Ghana Premier League, earning individual accolades and leading their teams to triumph
- Despite their obvious skill, they struggled to make a lasting impression on the global football scene
- Outside Ghana, challenges such as scarce opportunities and intense competition prevented them from reaching their peak potential
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Ghana has long produced football stars, from legends like Abedi Pele and Michael Essien to others who shone in the local league.
While some made it big in Europe, many talented players, despite winning awards and fans’ hearts at home, never left a mark internationally.
Source: Getty Images
Here’s a look at 10 incredibly talented Ghanaian footballers, including Eric Bekoe, Sammy Adjei, and Ishmael Addo, who, despite their brilliance at home, couldn’t replicate that success internationally.
1. Ishmael Addo
Hearts of Oak striker Addo claimed the Golden Boot three times and played a key role in the club’s 2000 CAF Champions League triumph, but his spells in France and Israel never matched his success at home.
2. Opoku Afriyie
Asante Kotoko and Ghana legend Afriyie scored twice in the 1978 AFCON final and won the 1981 Ghana Premier League Golden Boot with 21 goals, but never played in Europe. FIFA President Gianni Infantino paid tribute to him after his passing in March 2020, as cited by the Ghana FA.
3. Dan Owusu
Three-time GPL Golden Boot winner with Boafoakwa Tano, Owusu was a lethal finisher. Though he claimed over 100 goals in domestic football, he never got the opportunity to play in Europe and did not make much wealth from the profession.
4. Charles Taylor
Renowned for his flair and dribbling, Taylor shone for Kotoko and Hearts, dominating the Ghanaian league but failing to make his mark internationally. Though he now enjoys a comfortable life, his football career brought him little wealth.
5. Bernard Don Bortey
A dead-ball specialist with undeniable flair, Bortey was central to Hearts of Oak’s success in the 2000s. Despite his brilliance, the Ghana football legend, who was in attendance during last year's Super Clash in Accra, never truly broke into top-level international football.
6. Sammy Adjei
One of Ghana’s top goalkeepers in the early 2000s, Adjei was key to Hearts’ treble-winning season in 2000. But his overseas career didn’t live up to expectations, and he returned home without much impact abroad.
Source: Getty Images
7. Emmanuel Osei Kuffour
Nicknamed "The General," Kuffour was a midfield star and Ghana Premier League legend, but he never shone on the international stage. His football earnings remained modest.
8. Eric Bekoe
According to Transfermarkt, Bekoe led the GPL in goals in 2007/08 with 17 for Kotoko. He impressed during a short stint in Egypt but never transitioned to a bigger European league, despite having the tools to succeed.
9. Emmanuel Clottey
Top scorer in the 2012 CAF Champions League, Clottey impressed with Berekum Chelsea. However, he couldn't sustain that form abroad, and his time in Tunisia didn’t launch the European career many expected.
10. Shaibu Yakubu
Once tipped as a better striker than Asamoah Gyan, Yakubu topped the GPL scoring charts in 2003. Despite playing in Turkey and Greece, he never lived up to his early hype on the international scene.
Dominic Adiyiah's unrealised potential
YEN.com.gh recently outlined 10 reasons why former Ghana international Dominic Adiyiah didn’t fulfill his potential in Europe, particularly at AC Milan.
The ex-Heart of Lions striker had won both the Golden Boot and Golden Ball at Ghana’s historic 2009 FIFA U-20 World Cup triumph with the Black Satellites.
Source: YEN.com.gh
