The Most Famous

SOCCER PLAYERS from Ghana

This page contains a list of the greatest Ghanaian Soccer Players. The pantheon dataset contains 21,273 Soccer Players, 91 of which were born in Ghana. This makes Ghana the birth place of the 40th most number of Soccer Players behind Peru, and Turkey.

Top 10

The following people are considered by Pantheon to be the top 10 most legendary Ghanaian Soccer Players of all time. This list of famous Ghanaian Soccer Players is sorted by HPI (Historical Popularity Index), a metric that aggregates information on a biography’s online popularity. Visit the rankings page to view the entire list of Ghanaian Soccer Players.

1. Marcel Desailly (b. 1968)

With an HPI of 61.06, Marcel Desailly is the most famous Ghanaian Soccer Player. His biography has been translated into 57 different languages on wikipedia.

Marcel Desailly (French pronunciation: [maʁsɛl dəzaji]; born Odenke Abbey; 7 September 1968) is a former professional footballer, capable of playing as both centre-back or defensive midfielder. During a successful career at club level, lasting from 1986 to 2006, Desailly won several titles, including UEFA Champions League medals with both Marseille and AC Milan, and also played for Nantes and Chelsea, among other teams. At international level, he collected 116 caps between 1993 and 2004, scoring three goals, and was a member of the France international squads that won the 1998 World Cup and Euro 2000.

2. Abedi Pele (b. 1964)

With an HPI of 59.43, Abedi Pele is the 2nd most famous Ghanaian Soccer Player. His biography has been translated into 42 different languages.

Abedi Ayew ( ə-BAY-dee ə-YOO; born 5 November 1964), known professionally as Abedi Pele, is a Ghanaian former professional footballer who played as an attacking midfielder and who served as captain of the Ghana national team. He is regarded as one of the greatest African footballers of all time. He played for several European clubs and found his fame in the French Ligue 1 with Lille and Marseille, the latter where he won the UEFA Champions League in 1993, among other titles. He was also the first to win CAF award in 1992.

3. Michael Essien (b. 1982)

With an HPI of 54.07, Michael Essien is the 3rd most famous Ghanaian Soccer Player. His biography has been translated into 61 different languages.

Michael Kojo Essien (born 3 December 1982) is a Ghanaian former professional footballer who played as a midfielder. He is currently a member of Danish Superliga club Nordsjælland's coaching staff. He also played for the Ghana national team, earning more than 50 caps. During his prime, Essien was considered one of the best midfielders in the world. He was known not only for his defensive ability, but also his knack for scoring long-range goals. Essien started his career, playing for Liberty Professionals in Ghana. In 2000, he moved to France to join Bastia, where he would spend three seasons and appear in over 60 matches before joining Ligue 1 title holders Lyon in 2003. At Lyon, Essien won back-to-back league titles in 2003–04 and 2004–05, and won Ligue 1 Player of the Year in 2005. The same year, Essien signed with Premier League side Chelsea for a £24.4 million transfer fee. The fee made him the most expensive African footballer at that time. At Chelsea, Essien helped the club win the Premier League in 2006 and 2010, as well as three FA Cups and one League Cup. He won the UEFA Champions League in 2011–12, while also placing as runner-up in the 2007–08 UEFA Champions League. He has won the Chelsea Goal of the Season award twice, in the 2006–07 and 2008–09 seasons. Michael Essien is a former Ghanaian international. He quickly became a vital part of Ghana's national football teams. He contributed to Ghana's third-place finish at the 1999 FIFA U-17 World Championship and their runner-up position at the 2001 FIFA World Youth Championship. Essien made his senior team debut in January 2002 and has represented his nation at three Africa Cup of Nations tournaments. Essien has also represented Ghana at the 2006 and 2014 FIFA World Cups.

4. Samuel Kuffour (b. 1976)

With an HPI of 48.79, Samuel Kuffour is the 4th most famous Ghanaian Soccer Player. His biography has been translated into 35 different languages.

Samuel Osei Kuffour (born 3 September 1976) is a Ghanaian former professional footballer who played as a centre-back. Known for his physical power, Kuffour is best remembered for his time with Bayern Munich, whom he represented for over a decade, winning a total of 14 honours, and playing in nearly 250 official matches. Kuffour appeared with the Ghana national team in the 2006 World Cup, as well as in five Africa Cup of Nations.

5. Sulley Muntari (b. 1984)

With an HPI of 46.90, Sulley Muntari is the 5th most famous Ghanaian Soccer Player. His biography has been translated into 53 different languages.

Suleyman Ali "Sulley" Muntari (born 27 August 1984) is a Ghanaian former professional footballer who played as a midfielder. He spent most of his career in Italy, playing for clubs such as Udinese, Inter Milan, and AC Milan. Spoken about as a talented footballer at a young age, Muntari started his youth career in Ghana with Liberty Professionals before joining Udinese where he progressed from their academy into becoming a first team player. He featured in over 150 matches for Udinese and scored 9 goals before securing a move to join English team Portsmouth then English Premier League. He spent only a season with the Pompey and was also part of the team that won the FA Cup in 2007–08. His performance in the Premier League and the FA Cup earned him a move to join Inter Milan in 2008. During his time with Inter Milan, he helped the team win the Champions League in 2009–10 and the Serie A title in 2008–09 and 2009–10 among other trophies. After becoming a full international in 2002, Muntari earned over 80 caps for the Ghana national team and was selected for two Africa Cup of Nations tournaments and three FIFA World Cups. He was also a member of the Ghana U20 team that placed second in the African Youth Championship and FIFA U-20 World Cup both in 2001. He is the elder brother of former Tambov player Sulley Muniru.

6. Asamoah Gyan (b. 1985)

With an HPI of 46.30, Asamoah Gyan is the 6th most famous Ghanaian Soccer Player. His biography has been translated into 55 different languages.

Asamoah Gyan ( ASS-ə-MOH-ə JAHN; born 22 November 1985) is a Ghanaian former professional footballer who played as a striker. He is a former captain of the Ghana national team. Gyan began his career in 2003 with Ghana Premier League club Liberty Professionals, scoring ten goals in sixteen matches. He then spent three seasons with Serie A club Udinese via two seasons loan at Modena, netting on fifteen occasions in 53 league matches and at Udinese where he scored 11 times in 39 league matches. In 2008, Gyan joined Ligue 1 club Rennes, netting fourteen times in forty-eight league matches during two seasons. In 2010, Gyan joined then Premier League club Sunderland, breaking the club's transfer record and netting on ten occasions in thirty-four Premier League matches during two seasons. In 2011, Gyan joined Al Ain of the UAE Pro League on loan and became the league's top goalscorer, scoring 22 times in 18 matches. In the following season, Gyan permanently joined Al Ain and helped them retain the Pro League title, once again, finishing as the league's top goalscorer with an impressive 31 goals in 22 matches. In the 2013–14 league season, Gyan finished top scorer for a record third time, with 29 goals in 26 matches. Gyan is the all-time leading goalscorer of the Ghana national team, with 51 goals. He represented Ghana at the 2006, 2010 and 2014 FIFA World Cups. With six goals, he is the top African goalscorer in the history of the World Cup. Gyan also represented Ghana at the 2004 Summer Olympics and in seven Africa Cup of Nations (2008, 2010, 2012, 2013, 2015, 2017 and 2019), helping them finish in third place in 2008 and as runners-up in 2010 and 2015. He launched his memoir, titled "LeGYANdry" at the Kempinski Gold Coast Hotel in Accra. On 20 June 2023, Gyan announced his retirement from active football.

7. Gerald Asamoah (b. 1978)

With an HPI of 45.53, Gerald Asamoah is the 7th most famous Ghanaian Soccer Player. His biography has been translated into 42 different languages.

Gerald Asamoah (German pronunciation: [ˈgeːʁalt ʔazaˈmoːa]; born 3 October 1978) is a German football executive and former professional player who works as the first-team manager of Schalke 04. During his playing career, Asamoah played as a forward, and he was mainly known for his pace, his physical strength and his hard-working approach. He has bonded the most part of his career to Schalke, where he has been widely appreciated not only for his accomplishments as a player, but also for his relaxed and positive attitude and his role as a community leader off the pitch. Asamoah kept working in Gelsenkirchen after his retirement, too, as he was offered several administrative and managerial roles throughout the years.

8. Ibrahim Sunday (b. 1944)

With an HPI of 45.32, Ibrahim Sunday is the 8th most famous Ghanaian Soccer Player. His biography has been translated into 16 different languages.

Ibrahim Sunday (born 22 July 1944) is a Ghanaian former professional football player and coach. A midfielder, he played the majority of his career for Ghanaian club Asante Kotoko, and was also a member of the Ghana national team, participating in two Africa Nations Cup tournaments. In 1971, he won the African Footballer of the Year award. He is the first ever African footballer to appear in the Bundesliga.

9. Alphonso Davies (b. 2000)

With an HPI of 44.94, Alphonso Davies is the 9th most famous Ghanaian Soccer Player. His biography has been translated into 50 different languages.

Alphonso Boyle Davies (born November 2, 2000) is a professional soccer player who plays as a left-back and winger for Bundesliga club Bayern Munich and captains the Canada national team. He is widely regarded as one of the best full-backs in the world, and one of the best North American players of all time. Davies has earned the nickname "The Roadrunner" for his exceptional pace, dribbling ability, and creativity. Davies was the first player born in the 2000s to play in a Major League Soccer match. He joined Bayern in January 2019 from MLS side Vancouver Whitecaps FC on a contract lasting until 2023 for a then-record MLS transfer fee. Davies was named the Bundesliga Rookie of the Season for 2019–20. In that season he also was part of the team winning the continental treble after Bayern won the Bundesliga, the UEFA Champions League and the DFB-Pokal. His performances led him to be a finalist of 2020 Golden Boy award. Born in Ghana to refugee Liberian parents, Davies and his family relocated to Canada when he was 5 years old. Davies obtained Canadian citizenship in June 2017; he was until then a Liberian national. Later that month, he became the youngest player to appear for the Canada national team. By scoring two goals in a 2017 CONCACAF Gold Cup match against French Guiana, he became the youngest player to score for the team, the youngest to score at the CONCACAF Gold Cup, and first player born in the 2000s to score at a top level international tournament. He would go on to be named CONCACAF Men's Player of the Year in 2021 and 2022. Davies was called up to play in the 2022 FIFA World Cup, where he scored Canada's first ever World Cup goal. He is widely considered both the best player on and the face of the Canada national team. Davies is the first soccer player, and first Canadian, to become an ambassador for the United Nations refugee agency, UNHCR.

10. Stephen Appiah (b. 1980)

With an HPI of 44.62, Stephen Appiah is the 10th most famous Ghanaian Soccer Player. His biography has been translated into 41 different languages.

Stephen Leroy Appiah ( AP-ee-ah; born 24 December 1980) is a Ghanaian former professional footballer who played as a midfielder. During his career, he played for teams such as Udinese, Parma, Brescia, Juventus and Fenerbahçe. Appiah was a member of the Ghana national team, which he represented at youth, Olympic, and senior levels. He captained Ghana at their World Cup debut in 2006 and at the 2010 World Cup.

People

Pantheon has 115 people classified as Ghanaian soccer players born between 1944 and 2004. Of these 115, 110 (95.65%) of them are still alive today. The most famous living Ghanaian soccer players include Marcel Desailly, Abedi Pele, and Michael Essien. The most famous deceased Ghanaian soccer players include Christian Atsu, Raphael Dwamena, and Junior Agogo. As of April 2024, 24 new Ghanaian soccer players have been added to Pantheon including Ibrahim Sunday, Karim Abdul Razak, and Kwame Ayew.