The 9 'Ghanaians' playing for other countries in Qatar 2022 World Cup
It has been an exciting World Cup campaign for Ghana at the ongoing Qatar 2022, considering that optimism was not very high in Ghana among many people ahead of the World Cup.
Aside the proud Ghanaian players wearing the national jersey in the Black Stars, flying the flag of Ghana high in football's highest competition in the world, there are other players with Ghanaian origins playing for other nations in Qatar.
Graphic Online has counted at least nine players of Ghanaian origin playing for other nations in Qatar 2022.
USA, Spain, Wales, Belgium, Qatar, Netherlands and Canada are those who have the said players with "roots" to Ghana.
Looking away from only the Ghanaians, there is an African player in many other teams playing in the Qatar World Cup.
Out of the total of 32 teams that are in Qatar, 14 teams have at least one player of African origin in their squad.
Germany, France, Qatar, Belgium, Switzerland and Portugal are those who have the most.
Ghana's rebound in the World Cup
Unlike the 2014 experience where Ghana was eliminated at the Group stage with Ghana 1 - 2 USA, Ghana 2 - 2 Germany and Ghana 1 - 2 Portugal without winning a single match, this year's experience has been different.
This year’s feeling is similar to what was experienced in Germany in 2006 and in South Africa in 2010.
The Black Stars team is made up of talented players who have so far exhibited prowess and commitment.
Considering the team’s poor performance at the 2022 Afcon in Cameroun and what has been exhibited as of now with two matches at the Group stages, a 3 - 2 controversial loss to Portugal with all the debate about that Ronaldo penalty gifted him by the referee and the 3 - 2 win over South Korea even with a notable leaking defence, with the Uruguay match scheduled for Friday, this team of many young players have so much to offer in the future.
Even if, the last Group H match with Uruguay does not go well considering the "leaking defence", and the team is unable to progress to the knockout stage, this is not a team Ghanaian supporters should vent the usual anger on, considering the nature of the game.
There is hope for the present Black Stars squad.
Coach Otto Addo is the first Ghanaian coach to secure a win for Ghana at the senior level of the World Cup.
Ghana's previous World Cup appearances were led by coaches of other foreign nationalities.
The one coach Kwasi Appiah led in Brazil 2014 did not win a single match.
Graphic Online has been monitoring the tournament in Qatar and has sampled some of the Ghanaian names playing in the Qatar World Cup not for the country Ghana, but for other countries.
Celebrated Portuguese coach, José Mourinho for instance had proposed that FIFA should prevent African players from representing countries other than their country of origin.
He argued that such a rule would help African countries win the World Cup.
“I want the world to realise that Africa is equal to everyone… they have the ability to win any game, only because most of their players are scattered all over the world playing for other countries beyond their homelands,” he stated.
Below is a list of 9 Ghanaian names playing for other national teams in Qatar 2022
Yunus Musah - USA
Nico Williams - Spain
Ethan Ampadu - Wales
Jeremy Doku - Belgium
Mohammed Muntari - Qatar
Jeremie Frimpong - Netherlands
Memphis Depay - Netherlands
Cody Gakpo - Netherlands
Richie Laryea - Canada
Aside the Ghanaians, there is an African player in almost every other team playing in the Qatar World Cup.
Below is the list
GROUP A
QATAR
Algeria/Morocco: Karim Boudiaf
Algeria: Boualem Kouki
Cape Verde: Pedro Miguel Carvalho "Ro-Ro
Egypt: Ahmed Alaaldin
Ghana: Mohammed Muntari
Sudan: Meshaal Barsham, Musab Khedar, Abdulaziz, Assim Madibo, Almoez Ali
NETHERLANDS
Ivory Coast: Nathan Aké
Ghana: Jeremie Frimpong, Memphis Depay
Ghana/Togo: Cody Gakpo
GROUP B
ENGLAND
Nigeria: Bukayo Saka
WALES
Angola: Ben Cabango
Ghana: Ethan Ampadu
Sierra Leone: Sorba Thomas
UNITED STATES
Ghana: Yunus Musah
Liberia: Haji Wright, Timothy Weah
GROUP D
AUSTRALIA
South Africa: Keanu Baccus
South Sudan: Garang Kuol, Awer Mabil
DENMARK
Gambia: Alexander Bah
Tanzania: Yussuf Poulsen
FRANCE
Algeria: Karim Benzema
Algeria/Cameroon: Kylian Mbappé
Angola/Congo: Eduardo Camavinga
Benin: Jules Koundé
Cameroon: Aurélien Tchouameni, William Saliba
Guinea-Bissau: Dayot Upamecano
Mali: Ibrahim Konaté, Youssouf Fofana
Morocco: Mattéo Guendouzi
DR Congo: Steve Mandanda, Randal Kolo Muani, Axel Disasi
Senegal/Mali/Mauritania: Ousmane Dembélé
GROUP E
GERMANY
Burundi: Thilo Kherer
Cameroon: Armel Bella-Kotchap, Youssoufa Moukoko
Ivory Coast: Serge Gnabry
Nigeria: Jamal Musiala
Senegal: Leroy Sané
Sierra Leone: Antonio Rüdiger
SPAIN
Ghana: Nico Williams
Guinea-Bissau: Ansu Fati
Guinea: Alejandro Balde
GROUP F
BELGIUM
Ghana: Jeremy Doku
Morocco/DR Congo: Loïs Openda
DR Congo: Romélu Lukaku, Youri Tielemans, Michy Batshuayi
Senegal/Cameroon: Amadou Onana
CANADA
Ivory Coast: Ismaël Koné
Ghana: Richie Laryea
Liberia: Alphonso Davies
Nigeria: Ike Ugbo, Samuel Adekugbe
GROUP G
SWITZERLAND
Cameroon: Breel Embolo
Cape Verde: Edimilson Fernandes
Nigeria: Manuel Akanji, Noah Okafor
Senegal: Djibril Sow
South Sudan/Congo: Denis Zakaria
GROUP H
PORTUGAL
Angola: Nuno Mendes, William Carvalho, Joao Mario, Rafael Leao
Guinea-Bissau: Danilo Pereira
Writer's email: enoch.frimpong@graphic.com.gh