John Mensah: Ghanaians celebrate ex-Black Stars captain as he marks 39th birthday

Mensah was part of a golden generation of players who qualified Ghana to the World Cup in 2006 and 2010.

He was also a member of the Black Meteors team that featured at the 2004 Olympic Games in Athens, Greece.

The ex-Lyon and Sunderland centre-back was a mainstay in the national team for over a decade, having risen through the ranks.

He starred at the 2001 U-20 FIFA World Cup, where the Black Satellites lost in the final to hosts Argentina.

He went on to become an integral member of the Black Stars and succeeded Stephen Appiah as substantive captain after the 2010 World Cup.

Mensah also had a great club career, having played in Italy, England, France, Sweden, Slovakia and Switzerland.

In 2013, the defender returned to the Ghana Premier League for a brief period after joining Kumasi-based Asante Kotoko.

Mensah’s is widely heralded as one of Ghana’s best defenders ever and was named Ghana Player of the Year in 2006.

As he marks his 39th birthday, several Ghanaians took to microblogging site Twitter to celebrate the ex-footballer.

Here are some of the best tweets:

‘The Rock of Gibraltar’ – Ghanaians celebrate John Mensah as he marks 39th birthday