The football world waved goodbye to one of the game’s greatest last month as Diego Maradona passed away at the age of 60. Not only did the Argentine excel on the international stage, winning the World Cup in 1986, he also lit up European football with Barcelona and Napoli.
Seeing some of the videos of Maradona at his very best has raised the question: who is the best to come out of Ghana? Here are three men who definitely deserve to be in the conversation as one of the country’s best.
Abedi Pele
Abedi Pele is not just one of the leading Ghanaian footballers of all time, he is also one of Africa’s best. He won the African Player of the Year on three occasions throughout his career.
Pele was one of the first footballers from Ghana to have a lot of success in Europe. He was a key part of the Marseille team who won the league championship in France in 1991 and 1992 and then the Champions League in 1993.
The attacking midfielder scored 33 goals for his country and served as the captain for a number of years. Pele lifted the 1982 African Cup of Nations, his notable triumph for the Black Stars. Sadly, he never appeared at a World Cup as Ghana’s first appearance at the tournament did not come until 2006.
Michael Essien
In what was a fantastic career, Michael Essien played for some of the biggest clubs in the world. He had successful spells at Chelsea, Real Madrid, AC Milan and Lyon before he retired.
It was with Chelsea where Essien really made a name for himself around the world. He shone in the Premier League for the London club, winning the Premier League title twice and helping the Blues to their first ever Champions League success.
Essien was in the Ghana team who made their debut in the World Cup in 2006. The midfielder and his teammates would have inspired a whole new generation of Ghanaians who will look to emulate what the team did 14 years ago. The latest crop of Black Stars will be hoping to become the first African team to win the World Cup in 2022 where they are +20000 in the international betting to lift the trophy.
Tony Yeboah
Striker Tony Yeboah is one of the most prolific goal scorers to ever come out of Ghana. He had an impressive strike rate with Eintracht Frankfurt in the Bundesliga, Leeds United in the Premier League and Hamburger back in Germany.
Yeboah scored one of the greatest goals in Premier League history when he hit a volley into the back of the net from 30 yards for Leeds against Liverpool.
The Ghanaian was capable of producing moments of brilliance every time he was on the field for club or country. Supporters of all the teams he played for loved him and he is still seen as a legend at those clubs today.
A strong case can be made for all three of the above players, however, preference is given to Pele for the tag as the greatest ever Ghanaian footballer. He inspired so many to follow his footsteps and, at his peak, he was one of the best players in the world.