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, 115 of which were born in Ghana. This makes Ghana the birth place of the 40th most number of Soccer Players behind Slovakia, and Côte d'Ivoire.

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 66.43, Marcel Desailly is the most famous Ghanaian Soccer Player. His biography has been translated into 57 different languages on wikipedia.

Marcel David Desailly (French pronunciation: [maʁsɛl dəsaji]; 7 September 1968) is a French former professional footballer, who played as a 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. Desailly is widely regarded as one of the best players of his generation and one of the greatest defenders in the history of the sport.

2. Abedi Pele (b. 1964)

With an HPI of 65.51, Abedi Pele is the 2nd most famous Ghanaian Soccer Player. His biography has been translated into 43 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 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. At the latter, he won the UEFA Champions League in 1993, among other titles. He was also the first to win the CAF award in 1992.

3. Michael Essien (b. 1982)

With an HPI of 60.78, Michael Essien is the 3rd most famous Ghanaian Soccer Player. His biography has been translated into 62 different languages.

Michael Kojo Essien (born 3 December 1982) is a Ghanaian football coach and former player who is currently an assistant coach at Danish Superliga club Nordsjælland. During his prime he was regarded as one of the best midfielders in the world. A midfielder, 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. He also played for the Ghana national team, earning more than 50 caps. 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 also represented Ghana at the 2006 and 2014 FIFA World Cups.

4. Christian Atsu (1992 - 2023)

With an HPI of 58.20, Christian Atsu is the 4th most famous Ghanaian Soccer Player. His biography has been translated into 43 different languages.

Christian Atsu Twasam (10 January 1992 – 6 February 2023) was a Ghanaian professional footballer who primarily played as a winger, although he was deployed as an attacking midfielder or left back. Atsu began his career with Porto, also spending a season on loan at Rio Ave. In 2013, he was signed by Chelsea for £3.5 million, who subsequently loaned him to Vitesse, Everton, Bournemouth and Málaga. After spending the 2016–17 season on loan at Newcastle United, he completed a permanent transfer to the club in May 2017. Following the end of his four-year contract, he played for Al Raed in Saudi Arabia and Hatayspor in Turkey, where he died in the 2023 Turkey–Syria earthquake at age 31. A full international with 65 caps from 2012 to 2019, Atsu represented Ghana at the 2014 FIFA World Cup and four Africa Cup of Nations tournaments. He helped the team finish as runners-up at the 2015 Africa Cup of Nations, in which he also won Player of the Tournament and Goal of the Tournament.

5. Asamoah Gyan (b. 1985)

With an HPI of 57.25, Asamoah Gyan is the 5th most famous Ghanaian Soccer Player. His biography has been translated into 58 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.

6. Samuel Kuffour (b. 1976)

With an HPI of 56.78, Samuel Kuffour is the 6th most famous Ghanaian Soccer Player. His biography has been translated into 37 different languages.

Samuel Osei "Sammy" 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.

7. Tony Yeboah (b. 1966)

With an HPI of 56.69, Tony Yeboah is the 7th most famous Ghanaian Soccer Player. His biography has been translated into 32 different languages.

Anthony Yeboah (born 6 June 1966) is a Ghanaian former professional footballer who played as a striker. He is considered one of the most prominent and prolific goal scorers in Ghanaian and African football history and gained a reputation for scoring spectacular goals which often featured in Goal of the Month or Goal of the Season competitions in the 1990s. Yeboah is most noted for his time at European clubs 1. FC Saarbrücken, Eintracht Frankfurt, Leeds United and Hamburger SV. He also played for Asante Kotoko, Cornerstones Kumasi, Okwawu United and Al-Ittihad Doha. He was capped 59 times by Ghana, scoring 29 goals. He now runs an international sports agency and a chain of hotels in Ghana. He won the Bundesliga golden boot on two occasions, 1992–93 and 1993–94, playing for Eintracht Frankfurt.

8. Sulley Muntari (b. 1984)

With an HPI of 55.17, Sulley Muntari is the 8th most famous Ghanaian Soccer Player. His biography has been translated into 55 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.

9. Stephen Appiah (b. 1980)

With an HPI of 54.04, Stephen Appiah is the 9th 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 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.

10. Ibrahim Sunday (b. 1944)

With an HPI of 53.76, Ibrahim Sunday is the 10th most famous Ghanaian Soccer Player. His biography has been translated into 17 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.

People

Pantheon has 116 people classified as Ghanaian soccer players born between 1944 and 2004. Of these 116, 111 (95.69%) 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, Junior Agogo, and Raphael Dwamena. As of April 2024, 1 new Ghanaian soccer players have been added to Pantheon including Ernest Nuamah.