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Meet Ghana's bronze-winning U-20 World Cup squad
It's been three years since they made the nation proud, but what are they up to now?
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The team, like it's heroic predecessors of 2001 (runners-up) and 2009 (champions), was full of talented individual players tipped for big things.
The class of 2001 had the likes of Michael Essien, Sulley Muntari, John Mensah, John Paintsil, Razak Pimpong and Derek Boateng - all of whom were key as the Black Stars made history by qualifying for its first FIFA World Cup five years later in 2006.
The class of 2009, which became the first African country to win the Under 20 World Cup, was studded with the likes of captain Andre Ayew, Jonathan Mensah, Samuel Inkoom, Emmanuel Agyemang Badu and Rabiu Mohammed who all went on to become the backbone of the Black Stars from 2010 onwards.
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However, close to four years after their heroics in Turkey, how have the members from the class of 2013, who had also finished 2nd in the Africa U-20 Championship that same year, fared so far?
Pulse Sports takes a look.
Ebenezer Ofori Antwi
Antwi made his name at the tournament by pulling off many high profile saves to sustain Ghana’s campaign.
Nicknamed ‘Alawa’, and loved for his ever-smiling persona, Antwi later signed for Asante Kotoko, where he failed to adequately settle. He is now based at Medeama SC, joining them ahead of the 2016/17 Ghana Premier League season.
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He is now 22 years old.
Jeremiah Arkoful
Then one of four Tema Youth players in the squad, Arkoful played a key role in that tournament from left back.
Following the tournament, he scored a move to Croatian side HNK Hajduk Split late in 2014, where he struggled to adapt due to what he claimed were language issues.
He returned to Tema Youth a year later and played for two years, until he landed a move to Latvian top flight side SK Babite last month.
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Ebenezer Ofori
Then playing for New Edubiase, Ebenezer Ofori – who plays across center back, center midfield, left back and left midfield – landed a move to Swedish side AIK soon after the tournament, where he went on to become a household over the next four years.
Now 21, he moved to VF Stuttgart at the beginning of this year, also making his senior national team debut with Ghana at the 2017 Africa Cup of Nations.
Joseph Attamah Larweh
Center back Attamah Larweh, another Tema Youth product in the squad, was known for his assured performances in defence. He scored a goal at the tournament.
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Like Arkoful, he left Tema for Europe in 2014, signing for Adana Demirspor in Turkey. In 2016, he got married and later signed for İstanbul Başakşehir, where he currently plays.
He was part of Ghana’s preliminary provisional squad for the 2017 Africa Cup of Nations in Gabon, later getting dropped.
Baba Rahman
Left back Baba Rahman was then playing at Germany’s Greuther Feuth, whom he had joined from Asante Kotoko. The athletic, attack-minded defender later joined Bundesliga side FC Augsburg before landing a big move to Chelsea in the United Kingdom.
He is currently back in Germany, playing with Schalke 04, where he is on loan from the London-based Blues.
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Rahman is one of the few squad members of the Black Satellites class of 2013 who went on to enjoy a consistent career with the Black Stars: he has 24 caps for the country since a 2014 debut and has played at two Africa Cup of Nations tournaments.
Alfred Duncan
Duncan was perhaps the most high profile member of Ghana’s squad then. The box-to ox midfielder was on the books of Italian giants Inter Milan – albeit on loan at Livorno – and was one of five foreign-based players in the squad. Though he gained notoriety for his difficult prima donna nature in camp, Duncan’s talent shone through.
He has since left Inter and played at Sampdoria.
Now 24, he plays at Sassuolo, whom he joined two years ago. Duncan has also had on and off stints with the Black Stars.
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Frank Acheampong
Speedster Acheampong was one of the big boys of the squad. Before the tournament, he had landed a move to Belgian giants Anderlecht from Thailand club Buriram United, where he had moved to on the back of his exploits for Kumasi-based King Faisal.
Again, many months before the tournament – at which he scored two goals - he had been capped with the senior national team, with then manager Kwesi Appiah handing him a debut in a friendly against China.
Acheampong, four years after the tournament, is still based at Anderlecht, where he is now a cult hero with many impressive, consistent displays from the wings punctuated by occasional goals.
The 23-year-old has been capped 18 times for the Black Stars, recently playing a role at the 2017 Africa Cup of Nations.
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Seidu Salifu
Salifu, whose tenacious defensive midfield displays earned him comparisons with Ghana legend Michael Essien, was a key cog in the class of 2013. Then based with Wa All Stars, he capped his displays with a crucial decider in the Satellite’s pulsating 4-3 Quarter Final win against Chile in Instabul.
Following the tournament, moved to Tunisian bigshots Club Africain, where he spent three years from 2013 to 2016. He moved to Turkish club Adana Demirspor for a year after that.
Salifu, now 23, is currently still Turkey based, plying his trade for Ümraniyespor in the second tier, along with former Ghana Premier League MVP Mahatma Otoo of Hearts of Oak fame.
Francis Narh
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Narh was one of the known goal poachers within the team. Yet another Tema Youth product, Narh was as comfortable and deadly operating from the wings as he was from the middle.
Although he failed to score in Turkey, he still landed moves – first to Club Africain (on loan) along with Salifu – then to Czech club FC Baník Ostrava.
Only still 22, he is currently based in Bulgari, playing for Levski Sofia, whom he joined last year.
Clifford Aboagye
Stylish playmaker Aboagye was the marquee star of the team, without a doubt. The diminutive Aboagye, then just 18 and playing for then lower-tier Ghanaian side Inter Allies, burst unto the scene with mercurial displays that earned him the bronze ball award for the third best player at the tournament, finishing behind France's Paul Pogba and Uruguay’s Nicolas Lopez.
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Unfortunately, Aboagye has largely failed to live up to his potential. He joined Spanish side Granada soon after the tournament, bizarrely playing for their B team for four years (failing to break into the senior team), before securing a six-month loan move away to Mexcian side Club Atlas in January 2017.
Michael Sai
Sai was one of the team’s back-up goalkeepers in Turkey. Then playing for Berekum Chelsea, Sai, now 21, currently plays at Ghana Premier League side Medeama SC, where he moved to in January 2016.
At the Tarkwa-based club, Sai plays second fiddle to a familiar face: Ebenezer Ofori Antwi, who he also understudied as part of the Satellite’s 2013 World Cup campaign in Turkey.
Sai is a product of Abedi Pele’s famed FC Narnia.
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Daniel Pappoe
Then on the books of Chelsea, Pappoe was one of the foreign based players included to shore-up the squad.
Born in Accra but raised in East London, the defender has since the tournament had a difficult time making progress. Since leaving Chelsea in 2013, he has played for as much as eight clubs, all in the space of four years.
He currently plays at New Radiant, the Republic of Maldives’ most successful club. He is neither capped with Ghana nor England at senior level.
Richmond Nketiah
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Nketiah was the team’s agile right back, then based at Medeama. His energetic overlapping and crisp crosses made him a hit with fans and scouts.
In 2014, a year after the tournament, he moved from Ghana to Europe, signing for Lativian side FC FC Jūrmala, before moving to SK Babite in the same country.
He currently plays at FC Arsenal Tula in Turkey, where he signed a two-year-deal at the beginning of 2016.
Lawrence Lartey
Lartey, a 2011 Ghana FA Cup winner with FC Narnia, was the team’s captain in Turkey. Tough tackling, intelligent and good with the ball at his feet, the lanky Lartey excelled in his role as the team’s leader.
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Then playing for Ashanti Gold, he stayed with the Obuasi-based side for two more years after the World Cup, winning the 2014/15 Ghana Premier League title before moving to Ajax Cape Town in South Africa in November 2015.
Now 23, Lartey is still based at Ajax Cape Town. He also has a Black Stars cap under his belt (2015, friendly against Congo Brazaville where he played 90 minutes).
Kennedy Ashia
Then based with Liberty Professionals, Ashia was one of the most highly rated locally-based squad members. He had made his name at the Dansoman-based club as a goal scoring midfielder, very threating and creative on the ball.
The stocky Ashia moved to Norway’s SK Brann in the wake of the tournament, but returned to Liberty after an unsuccessful short stint. He continued to build his goal scoring profile in the Ghanaian top flight before landing a move to Sudanese giants Al-Hilal Omdurman in November 2015.
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He left Al-Hilal in in May 2016, returned to Liberty again, before scoring a move to Lebanese side Tripoli FC in August 2016.
Now 23, Ashia is still based in Lebanon.
Richard Ofori
Along with Michael Sai, Richard Ofori was one of the Black Satellite class of 2013’s backup goalies.
He was then playing for Wa All Stars, and is still indeed based there.
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The gangling Ofori was undoubtedly the best goalkeeper In Ghana during the 2015/16 Ghana Premier League season, inspiring All Stars to an unlikely title triumph. His heroics earned him a spot within the Black Stars squad for the 2017 Afcon in Gabon, where he played in the third place-play off against Burkina Faso and excelled.
The 23-year-old left for South Africa in February 2017 in search of a deal but has not yet landed one yet.
Ebenezer Assifuah
Along with Clifford Aboagye, Assifuah emerged as team Ghana’s outstanding performer in Turkey. The striker – whose strength, resilience and deadly eye for goal knew no bounds – emerged as the top scorer at the end of the World Cup with six goals in seven games.
Assifuah was then playing for Liberty Professionals but his red-hot displays meant he was off to Europe in the wake of the tournament.
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He signed for Switzerland’s FC Sion, where he spent the last four years before moving to France’s Le Havre earlier this year.
Now 23, Assifuah was part of Ghana’s squad at the 2017 Africa Cup of Nations in Gabon.
Michael Anaba
Then based with Ghanaian giants Asante Kotoko, Michael Anaba added energy and bite to Ghana’s midfield in Turkey.
After the tournament (at which he scored once) he earned a move to Spain, signing with El Che, staying for three years - largely with the B team and once on loan at Alcoyano – before cancelling his contract and switching to lower tier side CD Eldense in 2016.
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He left Eldense and signed for Uruguayan top flight side Sud America in March 2017.
Moses Odjer
Small but powerful, Moses Odjer was a staggering 16 years old during the tournament in Turkey. He was the last of the Tema Youth quartet.
Odjer was skilful, strong and assured on the ball, possessing a confidence and intelligence way beyond his years. He scored once in Turkey.
He waited for a year after the tournament to move to Europe, signing with Catania in Italy. After a year (2015), he moved to Serie B side Salernitana, where after two years he is still based.
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Richmond Boakye Yiadom
Marksman Yiadom was another one of the high profile members of the squad. He was on the books of Serie A giants Juventus, albeit on loan at the less-fancied Sassuolo.
Cool in front of goal, he scored twice at the tournament.
Since 2013, Yiadom has played at five clubs (four on loan) across Italy, Spain, Netherlands and Serbia.
He is currently based at Red Star Belgrade, for whom he signed a one and half year loan deal in January 2017.
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Yiadom, now 24, is capped 10 times with the Black Stars, having scored four goals.
Princebell Addico
The utility player Addico - who played across center back, right back and center midfield – was then based with Bechem United. He played three games during the tournament.
Addico, now 22, is still known to be with Bechem United, after having been linked with a move abroad – at a point to Spanish side El Che – over the last few years.
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