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Wharton was born in born in James Town in Accra in 1865 before emigrating to the United Kingdom (UK) at as a teenager.
He went on to play for several English clubs, including Preston North End, Rotherham Town, Stockport County and Stalybridge Rovers.
As part of the celebration of Black History Month, Sheffield United took to Twitter to celebrate Wharton, who would’ve turned 156 years today.
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“On this day in 1865, Arthur Wharton was born in Ghana,” the club tweeted, accompanied by a photo of the ex-footballer.
“Arthur played for Sheffield United in the late 1800s and is widely considered to be the first black professional footballer in the world.”
Wharton’s life and career are well-document, having relocated from Ghana to the North East at the age of 19.
According to the BBC, he trained as a Methodist preacher at Cleveland College, Darlington before venturing into sports.
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Arthur Wharton during his playing days
“It was whilst at college that he began his amazing sporting careers, competing at this stage as a 'gentleman amateur',” the BBC reports.
“He excelled at everything he tried (even setting a record time for cycling between Preston and Blackburn in 1887).
“In 1886 Arthur became the fastest man in Britain winning the Amateur Athletics Association national 100 yards champion at Stamford Bridge, London - the first time the trophy was won by a Northerner.”
Wharton later ventured into cricket before his death in 1930. He has a memorial stone placed over his grave in Ellington Cemetery, Doncaster.