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The year 2019 may have seen some Ghanaian players make their breakthroughs, but for others it was the exact opposite.
I’m talking about players who were previously in the limelight but went missing during the year under review.
Pulse Sports brings you a list of six Ghanaian footballers who were totally lost in 2019:
Sulley Muntari
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Sulley Muntari is gradually nearing the end of his career – that’s only if he still has some football left in him.
The former Ghana international has seen it all in football, having won trophies in England and Italy, including the prestigious UEFA Champions League.
However, his career has hit a snag in recent years and the midfielder has clearly struggled badly in 2019.
For a man who has previously played for the likes of AC Milan, Inter Milan and Portsmouth, joining Spanish lower division side Albacete in January was a new low.
He made just two appearances for the club and, to make matters worse, Albacete released Muntari in the summer. He is currently without a club.
Emmanuel Agyemang-Badu
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Former U-20 World Cup winner Emmanuel Agyemang-Badu has endured a very trying year in 2019.
The 28-year-old began the year on loan at Bursapor in the Turkish Super Lig, before being loaned out again to Hellas Verona in July.
Unfortunately for the midfielder, he was hospitalised just a month after moving from Udinese to Hellas Verona on loan.
Blood clots were found in his lungs, with Agyemang-Badu subsequently being diagnosed with pulmonary microembolism – a condition which kept him at the hospital for a while. It certainly hasn’t been a good year for the midfielder.
Daniel Amartey
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Leicester City defender Daniel Amartey is also another top Ghanaian player who has been totally missing in 2019.
The 24-year-old was part of the Foxes side that historically romped to the Premier League title in 2016.
However, his career has since gone downhill and the bad omen was compounded when he suffered a serious injury in October 2018.
The defender was initially expected to be ruled out for eight months, but he has been unable to fully recover till date. Not only has he lost his place in the Leicester team, he also missed out on the 2019 AFCON as a result of his long-term injury.
Anthony Annan
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There was a time when Anthony Annan’s name was one of the first when selecting the Black Stars first XI.
However, the diminutive midfielder has been struggling in the last few years and currently does not play for any club.
In 2019, for instance, the only time he really made the headlines was when his wife accused him of neglecting her and his kids.
Annan is currently 33 and it is hard to see him returning to his best, unless his career takes a drastic turn. This year, though, has been a bad one for him.
Samuel Inkoom
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Samuel Inkoom was also a member of Ghana’s triumphant winners at the 2009 U-20 FIFA World Cup.
The right-back was then flying high but his career has since nosedived, following a lengthy ban imposed on him by FIFA.
The ban was lifted in January this year, allowing Inkoom to sign for Bulgarian top-flight side Danuv Ruse on a free transfer.
However, the defender has struggled to get his career back on track and very little actually changed in 2019.
Raphael Dwamena
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Sometimes it’s surprising how quickly time flies in football. Just two years ago, Raphael Dwamena was touted as the next big thing in Ghana football.
However, the striker has since regressed following his big money move from Swiss side FC Zurich to the La liga.
Dwamena first joined Real Zaragoza in the summer of 2018 but a lack of playing time forced him to cross carpet to Levante on loan.
But in October the striker suffered another setback after an unknown heart problem was detected during a routine medical check-up. He was subsequently ruled out indefinitely and has since not kicked a ball.
Patrick Twumasi
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Just under a year ago, Patrick Twumasi was making all the headlines and ticking all the right boxes in his football career.
The 25-year-old won multiple league titles while playing for Astana in the Kazakhstan topflight, but has struggled since moving to Spain.
He joined Deportivo Alaves amid huge hopes, but he has since vanished into thin air and currently plays on loan at Turkish side GaziantepFK.