Ghana has a long history of producing top-quality players that have plied their trades in a number of football leagues around the world. Asamoah Gyan, Thomas Partey, and Andre Ayew are three of the Ghanaian football exports to find success in Europe and beyond.
Partey in particular has found success with Atletico Madrid and will compete versus Liverpool in the Champions League round of 16 in February. Football fans can use the Tipico bonus to increase their bankroll before wagering on the first leg match’s outcome.
In spite of their success, it appears fewer Ghanaians are succeeding on a big platform. A golden generation of Ghanaian football appeared at the World Cup 2010. This year marks the 10th anniversary of that team and its success in South Africa reaching the quarterfinals and finishing seventh.
Since then, Ghana has had two disappointing World Cup cycles with the national team failing to emerge from the group stage in 2014 in Brazil. Even worse, Ghana failed to reach the World Cup in 2018 in Russia.
Now that the country’s golden generation is on its last legs, it begs the question, who are Ghana’s rising football stars? Gyan is 34-years-old, Jordan and Andre Ayew are 28 and 30 respectively, and Partey is already 26. So, where are the new Ghanaian football stars at right now?
Players for the future?
He joined the club in 2017 from Anderlecht as one of the many European-based players to be signed by a Chinese club to help improve the league’s overall quality.
Acheampong has played for the Ghana national team appearing 23 times but hasn’t been a part of the squad for some time.
While Acheampong is in his mid-20s, exciting Monaco forward Eric Ayiah could truly be the future of Ghana football.
Ayiah is just 19-years-old and plays for the French team’s B squad. Ayiah broke into the Ghana youth national team set up as a teen and is on the path to being a full-fledged senior player if he continues his development.
Ayiah previously played for Charity Stars FC before moving to Monaco.
Twenty-five-year-old Fatawu Safiu succeeded in the Ghanaian domestic league earning the 2020 Home-based Player of the Year award.
Safiu’s goals and splendid play in league and cup competitions led Swedish club Trelleborg to sign him in August on a half-season loan with an option to make the transfer permanent.
It was a Cinderella transfer move for Safiu who had played for six different clubs before moving to Sweden.
Safiu had already played in Sweden with Vimmerby and competed in the United States with Vancouver Whitecaps B and Portland Timbers B. He has long been on the verge of success but now in his mid-20s, could achieve great things.
Still, the question of who are Ghana’s rising football stars goes unanswered. Although there are some very good Ghanaian players, it may be some time before the previous golden generation spearheaded by Asamoah Gyan is replaced with another equally excellent squad.
January’s dissolving of all the coaches at the national team level down to the youth ranks will do nothing to help develop the next great Ghanaian footballers. It may be some time until we can answer who are Ghana’s rising football stars?