Milovan Rajevac was fired as Ghana's coach after his team lost in the group stage of the CAF Africa Cup of Nations earlier this year, and Otto Addo was selected as his interim replacement. The former midfielder, who earned 15 national team appearances during his playing career, wasted little time in leading the Black Stars to FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022TM qualification and will serve as their captain at the competition.
FIFA has chosen five players who could be crucial to Ghana's campaign as they get ready to fly to Qatar with a very intriguing team.
Amartey, Daniel
Position: Centre-back
Age: 27
Amartey is already one of Addo's team's more seasoned players. He came to Premier League club Leicester City in January 2016 after winning the Danish championship and two domestic cups with FC Copenhagen as a youth. He was a part of the Foxes' unexpected title-winning squad that year. Amartey is one of just three players from that championship-winning team who still plays for the club, despite having his own personal ups and downs while at Leicester, which eventually caused him to lose his spot in the starting lineup. This alone demonstrates how highly regarded Leicester views the center-half, who can also play as a defensive midfielder. He recently won the FA Cup and FA Community Shield, and he has participated in every league game for Leicester this season. Last season, he made 40 appearances in all competitions.
Amartey, one of Ghana's most seasoned players, with 43 caps under his belt after making his international debut in 2015. When the Black Stars finished fourth at the 2017 Africa Cup of Nations, his name was included in the official roster of the competition.
The 27-year-old will play a crucial part in the heart of Ghana's defense as they take on Portugal, Korea Republic, and Uruguay in Group H because of his experience, excellent leadership, and aggressive tackling. Amartey has a fierce defensive reputation, but he can also spark the Black Stars' build-up play with his outstanding passing ability. It is obvious that Addo has complete faith in him because he has participated in every minute of all six international matches since Ghana hired their new coach, including one as captain.
Mohammed Kudus
Position: Attacking midfielder
Age: 22
Mohammed Kudus started his career in Denmark, just like Amartey. Prior to joining Ajax in the Eredivisie before the 2021/21 season, he made 57 appearances for FC Nordsjaelland. Since then, he and his group have won the KNVB Cup in 2021 and the Dutch title in each of the last two seasons.
Kudus has also played for Ajax in the UEFA Champions League and UEFA Europa League. He most recently scored and assisted against Rangers to win player of the match and make the Champions League team of the week.
Kudus prefers to play attacking midfield, which is where he typically plays for Ghana, despite the fact that he occasionally plays as a striker for Ajax and occasionally fills in as a super sub. Until now, the 22-year-old has made 16 appearances for his country and scored five goals. Unlike at Ajax, he now appears to be a regular starter for Addo. He adds a significant amount of energy and unpredictability to Ghana's play thanks to his attacking instinct.
Kudus will be the ideal pivot for the Black Stars as they transition from defense to attack at the World Cup because they are likely to rely on counterattacks frequently.
Although he is still young, he is not afraid to take charge on the field and has the ability to make a splash in Qatar. He is frequently referred to as one of the most talented people in his generation, and with good reason.
Issahaku Fatawu
Position: Attacking midfielder
Age: 18
Fatawu, who is currently on the fast route to success, is another rising talent. He was only 17 years old when he scored six goals in seven games for Dreams FC in the Ghanaian Premier League during the first half of the 2021/22 season. In April 2022, Fatawu relocated from his native country to Sporting's academy, where he first trained with the U-23 team before becoming officially registered to Sporting's first-team squad.
He has since been selected for each Liga Portugal and Champions League game and has already made a few substitute appearances, mostly on the right wing.
Fatawu's oddity is that, at this point in his career, he has more Ghanaian caps than club appearances. Twelve times already in the national team uniform, he has earned Addo's trust enough to be included in the starting lineup for both legs of their World Cup play-off against Nigeria.
The left-footer should be able to trouble opposing defenses in Qatar with his dribbling abilities and quality in one-on-one scenarios, opening up opportunities for the Black Stars down the wing. The 18-year-old is a viable option in dead-ball circumstances due to his excellent shooting style.
Andre Ayew
Position: Left winger or forward
Age: 32
With 107 caps, Ghana's captain is on the verge of surpassing Asamoah Gyan (109 appearances) as their most capped player, and the son of Abedi Pele's 23 goals have already placed him among his country's top five scorers. Ayew's success with Ghana in 2009 as an African champion and FIFA U-20 World CupTM victor speaks for itself and demonstrates his importance to the team.
The top scorer at the 2014/15 Africa Cup of Nations should add years of international experience to the Black Stars' assault and contribute a few goals along the way, along with his younger brother Jordan (81 caps, 19 goals), who is also a crucial player of the team.
Ayew has spent the majority of his career in France and England. He has played in 182 Ligue 1 games and has won two French League Cups and three Super Cups with Marseille between 2010 and 2012.
He played 87 Championship games and 89 Premier League games for Swansea City and West Ham United after relocating to England. Since he has been representing Qatari club Al Sadd since the end of the previous campaign and has already won the championship, he ought to be acclimated to living there by the time the World Cup begins.
He should also be able to assist the younger members of the team because he has a wealth of knowledge and expertise to impart from his early success on football's biggest international platform. He came in second place to Thomas Müller for the Best Young Player award in South Africa in 2010 and scored twice in Brazil four years later.
Inaki Williams
Position: Forward
Age: 28
Williams has not yet earned a Ghanaian international cap. The 28-year-old, a native of the Basque Country, has spent nearly all of his professional life with Athletic Bilbao in Spain, where he has made nearly 350 competitive games and has won the Spanish Super Cup. Since April 2016, he has not missed a single La Liga game, shattering Juan Antonio Larranaga's previous mark of 10 straight appearances set in October 2021. He has now participated in more than 230 consecutive games, furthering his record.
Williams was frequently a part of the larger Spanish national team setup during this time, earning a cap for Spain under Vicente del Bosque in a friendly match against Bosnia and Herzegovina in 2016.
Williams, a son of a Ghanaian, switched his allegiance to Ghana in July 2022 along with a number of other players, and he has since been called up to the national squad for the upcoming World Cup warm-up games against Brazil and Nicaragua. Williams adds an extra attacking danger to the Black Stars, so it will be interesting to see how he makes his entrance with his new squad.
The lively and incredibly swift striker is ideal for one-on-one battles with opposing defenders and counterattacking play.
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