10 Ghanaian players who chose Euro nations

The likes of Adam Larsen Kwarasey, Kevin-Prince Boateng and Emmanuel Frimpong are just a few of the players who were born abroad but chose to represent Ghana.

However, there have been many more footballers of Ghanaian descent who rejected the call to play for the West African country.

Below are 10 players of Ghanaian descent who chose to play for Euro nations:

Mario Balotelli

Mario Balotelli Pulse Ghana

Ghana actually made moves to get Mario Balotelli Barwuah to play for the Black Stars, but the striker constantly turned it down, insisting he wanted to play for Italy.

Both the father and mother of Balotelli are Ghanaians who emigrated to Italy decades ago. However, the striker was born in the city of Palermo.

The 30-year-old hasn’t played for Italy since 2018, but he’s made an overall 36 appearances for the country, scoring 14 goals.

George Boateng

George Boateng Pulse Ghana

George Boateng is currently a youth team coach at Premier League side Aston Villa. The former defensive midfielder was born in Nkawkaw in Ghana.

However, he chose to play for the Dutch national team after moving to the Netherlands at a very young age.

Boateng didn’t really play much for the Dutch national team and was capped just four times after making his debut in November 2001.

Memphis Depay

Memphis Depay Pulse Ghana

Another player of Ghanaian descent who chose to play for a Euro nation is Memphis Depay. The winger represents the Netherlands at international level.

Depay was born to a Ghanaian father and a Dutch mother in the city of Moordrecht. His breakthrough came with PSV Eindhoven, before securing a dream move to Manchester United and currently at Lyon.

He may not have played for Ghana but Depay holds strong ties to the West African country and often visits to fraternise with his family here.

Callum Hudson-Odoi

Callum Hodson-Odoi Pulse Ghana

Callum Hudson-Odoi is one of the brightest prospects in world football at the moment. The 19-year-old had his breakthrough at Chelsea two years ago and is currently in the Blues’ first team.

Despite having a Ghanaian father, Hudson-Odoi is ineligible to play for Ghana, having already been capped three times by England.

The teenager made his competitive debut for the Three Lions in a 5-0 win over the Czech Republic in a Euro 2020 qualifier.

Inaki Williams

Inaki Williams Pulse Ghana

Interestingly Inaki Williams is still eligible to play for Ghana despite being capped by Spain and the Basque Country national team.

The 26-year-old has been at Athletic Bilbao since 2014 but rejected the chance to play for Ghana some years ago.

He has played just once for Spain, in a friendly against Bosnia and Herzegovina, but can still switch nationality to Ghana if he wants.

Marcel Desailly

Marseille Desailly Pulse Ghana

Marcel Desailly is probably the greatest player of Ghanaian descent who didn’t represent the West African country.

The former defender was born in Ghana to Ghanaian parents but decided to play for France, where he won everything.

Desailly won the FIFA World Cup, Euros and the Confederations Cup in what was a trophy-laden international career.

Danny Welbeck

Danny Welbeck Pulse Ghana

Daniel Nii Tackie Mensah Welbeck is also of Ghanaian descent but represents England at international level.

Although his career has not gone according to plan, having played for Manchester United and Arsenal, he has been capped 42 times for England.

Welbeck interestingly made his England debut against Ghana in 2011 and was booed by a section of the Ghanaian fans.

Gerald Asamoah

Gerald Asamoah Pulse Ghana

Gerald Asamoah was also born in Ghana but emigrated with his parents to Germany in 1990 and ended up playing for the German national team.

He played his debut game for Germany in 2001 against Slovakia, becoming the first player born in African to ever play for the side.

Asamoah rose to become a key player for the German national team, playing at the 2002 and 2006 World Cups.

Jerome Boateng

Jerome Boateng Pulse Ghana

Jerome Boateng has equally enjoyed a glittering career at both club and international level. The center-back is the half-brother of Kevin-Prince Boateng, who plays for Ghana.

Jerome won the World Cup in 2010 with Germany, where he historically played against his brother Kevin-Prince.

The Boateng's have a Ghanaian father and both represented Germany at youth level, before pledging their allegiance to Ghana and Germany, respectively.

Georginio Wijnaldum

Giorginio Wijnaldum Pulse Ghana

Georginio Wijnaldum also has Ghanaian parents but currently plays for the Netherlands. Wijnaldum was six years old when his parents got divorced.

He’s a Premier League and Champions League winner with Liverpool, having also previously played for Feyenoord and PSV.

10 Ghanaian players who chose Euro nations over Ghana