If you are an avid follower of European football, then you’d have realised the excitement with which many Ghanaians anticipated the past weekend’s football action.
For the first time in so many seasons, more than a dozen Ghanaian footballers are featuring regularly for clubs in the best European leagues. From England to Spain to France to Italy to Germany and to the Netherlands, Ghanaian players are everywhere.
Not since the 2000s when the Stephen Appiahs, Michael Essiens and Sammy Osei Kuffours played at the very top has Ghana had this many footballers scattered across the top European leagues.
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In a week where Charles Kwablan (CK) Akonnor announced his 23-man squad for the Black Stars’ upcoming friendlies, the ultimate show of Ghana’s enormous football talents was on full display, in HD, in the Eredivisie.
Mohammed Kudus, who joined Dutch giants Ajax from Nordsjaelland in a big-money move this summer, continues to show why he’s one of the brightest prospects in European football at the moment.
Kudus is currently the most expensive teenager in Ghana football history, having joined Ajax for a fee of €9 million a month before he turned 20. And he has been fantastic since moving to Amsterdam.
In his competitive debut, the 20-year-old put up a scintillating performance, which culminated in him being voted man of the match against RKC Waalwijk. He was again the driving force over the weekend, providing an assist as a 10-man Ajax side beat Vitesse Arnhem 2-1.
Over in the most exciting league in the world, Daniel Amartey also started his first game in almost two years for Leicester City. Amartey has endured a frustrating last 18 months and only returned to full fitness last week after featuring in the Foxes’ 2-0 loss to Arsenal in the EFL Cup in midweek.
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On Sunday, though, he was at his best as Leicester handed Manchester City a humiliating 5-2 loss at the Etihad stadium.
Playing on the right side of a back-three, the 25-year-old barely put a foot wrong as he reminded the world of the quality that made the English side pay top dollar for his services three and half years ago.
Mohammed Salisu, who also joined Southampton this summer, is yet to make his debut for the club but it’s only a matter of time before he makes his bow after he gains full fitness.
Then there is Jordan Ayew and Jeffrey Schlupp, who are both starters at Roy Hodgson's Crystal Palace and playing so well.
Joseph Aidoo and Kassim Nuhu, regarded by many as the long-term center-back pairing for the Black Stars, are also part of the first teams of Celta Vigo and Hoffenheim, respectively, and will definitely get a lot of game time in the course of the season.
Thomas Partey, undoubtedly Ghana’s biggest export at the moment, continues to win hearts with his displays in midfield, with Arsenal still pushing hard to bring him to the Premier League.
The Ghana national team may have lacked quality in recent years, but the good times are coming back, thanks to the country’s overflow of talents scattered across Europe’s top leagues.