Top 10 Ghanaian Football Players Of All Time

Top 10 Ghanaian Football Players Of All Time

Ghana have a vast history in football, whether that’s winning a total of four AFCON titles which puts them at third across the whole of Africa or being one of the most successful African teams at a World Cup, narrowly missing out on being the first African side to qualify for a World Cup semi final after falling to the hands of Uruguay in a penalty shootout, and yes it was that game with the infamous Luis Suarez handball.

But Ghana pride themselves at football and have a massive loyal following of fans that support them through thick and thin. Here we will go through and rank Ghana’s top 10 players of all time.

10th: Osei Kofi

Now this is a name I’m sure a lot of people may not of heard before, born in 1942 Osei was a pioneer in putting Ghanaian football on the map. Playing for his country from 1962-1974 he had many a highlight when playing for the Black Stars.

He helped Ghana win their first and second AFCON title in 1963 and 1965. In the 1965 winning campaign he finished as joint top scorer of the tournament and as well, he holds a record that just about stands today, scoring in five consecutive AFCON matches which was matched in this years tournament by Brahim Diaz.

.@ghanafaofficial was a force to be reckoned with in the 1960’s, winning back-to-back AFCONs 🏆🏆

Part of the team was the “Wizard Dribbler” Osei Kofi who played an important role in the 1965 tournament as the joint top goalscorer. pic.twitter.com/pukPgQrJfM

— FIFA Museum (@FIFAMuseum) February 13, 2023

9th: Stephen Appiah

In at number nine we have Stephen Appiah. He played for his country between 1996-2010, he played for Ghana across multiple different formats, from youth level, the senior team and even at the Olympics. He captained his side in 2006 for their first ever World Cup qualification and again in 2010 showing how much of a leader he was in that side.

He had a large career over in Italy, most notably playing 48 times for Juventus from 2003-2005. Other clubs in Italy included Bologna, Parma, Udinese, Brescia and Cesena. However his most successful time in club football was when he was playing over in Turkey with Fenerbahce as he made 64 appearances for them and scoring 11 goals.

Stephen Appiah had a stellar career in Europe playing for some well known clubs including Udinese, Parma, Brescia, Juventus and Fenerbahçe.

We bring you a compilation of his Top 6 club career goals. pic.twitter.com/OLGzcqcZqS

— AfricaFootballClassics (@AfricaClassic) June 18, 2020

8th: Karim Abdul Razak

Another name some younger people might not have heard before, Karim played for Ghana from 1975-1988 as he made 70 appearances and scored 25 goals for the Black Stars. He had an illustrious career at Asante Kotoko in Ghana where he made an incredible 345 appearances along with 154 goals.

Over his career he was crowned African footballer of the year in 1978 as he led Ghana to AFCON victory that same year. He was known for his elegant playmaking during his playing days and was a large reason for Ghana’s golden 70’s generation.

7th:Sulley Muntari

The now 41 year old had a large career for both club and country, the midfielder played his football from 2002 where it ended in 2022. He played for the likes of Inter Miland and even AC Milan, as well as Udinese, Sunderland and Portsmouth plus some others.

He won the treble with Inter Milan in 2010 and as well in 2010 he was a key figure in that famous Ghana World Cup run. He played 84 times for his country and scoring for them 20 times.

Kids of these days will never understand how good a player Sulley Muntari was.
AFCON heritage.
In his prime,he was World Class 💯

pic.twitter.com/picRriO9Fe

— Steve Ruigu Njuguna (@Joashnjuguna) December 18, 2025

6th: Andre Ayew

Out of either of the Ayew brothers for me the clear winner is Andre. Playing 89 times for his country and scoring 24 times he’s really a modern day great for Ghana. He has played and scored in multiple World Cups, being in 2022 and 2014.

Over at club level Andre has played 194 times for Marseille and scoring 60 goals while there, in his time at the French club he also went on to win the Ligue 1 title. He also ended up playing in the Premier League for three different clubs, Swansea, West Ham and most recently Nottingham Forest.

5th Tony Yeboah

Across his career Tony Yeboah played a total of 59 times for his country as he scored 29 times, averaging just about a goal a game. He helped open the doors for African forwards in European football following his career.

He finished top goal scorer in the Bundesliga in 1993 and 1994, scoring 20 in 1993 and 18 in 1994. He made a move to Leeds after his successful spell in Frankfurt, he was and still is viewed as a cult hero at the Yorkshire club, notably having a brilliant highlight reel of scoring screamers, most notably this volley against Liverpool…

On This Day 1995 #lufc
Tony Yeboah…..Shoot To Kill! pic.twitter.com/hAoT1BvRkd

— LEEDS UNITED MEMORIES (@LUFCHistory) August 21, 2023

4th: Samuel Kuffour

In at number four we have a rock at the back, Samuel Kuffour. He had a sensational career over in Germany for Bayern Munich, playing 175 times for the German giants the Ghanaian centre back was key to their dominance, helping them go on to win six Bundesliga titles along with the UCL in 2001.

For country he played 54 times as he was selected as Ghanaian footballer of the year on three separate occasions, as well as winning BBC African Footballer of the Year, he also won bronze at the 1992 Olympic games for Ghana.

Lost file 🎭

Samuel Osei Kuffour 🫶🏾 pic.twitter.com/wkW6dEBNT9

— Yaw (@theyawofosu) January 24, 2025

3rd: Asamoah Gyan

Making the podium we have Ghana’s all time top scorer with a total of 51 goals for his country. Playing from 2006-2019 he’s represented his country across various tournaments such as AFCON and the World Cup, he was a key part to their 2010 run however he was the player who missed that penalty following Suarez’s red card.

Along with his country he was a prolific striker. Predominantly playing in the middle east where he scored a total of 116 goals for Al-Ain from 2011-2015. He also had spells at Rennes, Sunderland and Udinese.

🧢 109 caps, 51 goals, and a legacy like no other. 🎩⚽️#BlackStars | @ASAMOAH_GYAN3 https://t.co/GqfKxl2fCt pic.twitter.com/zpn7Ep0m7D

— 🇬🇭 Black Stars (@GhanaBlackstars) November 22, 2024

2nd: Michael Essien

Just missing out on the top spot is Michael Essien. The midfielder was a key figure for Chelsea, playing with them from 2005-2012 he totalled 223 appearances and scoring an impressive 23 times while sitting as a defensive midfielder. He went on to win two Premier League titles with them along with multiple domestic cups. He would also spend time with Lyon before he moved to West London where he went on to win the Ligue 1.

He went on to play 36 times for Ghana, he was chosen in CAF Team of the Year four times in 2005, 2006, 2008 and 2009. He was also voted as Chelsea’s player of the year in 2007, along with BBC African Footballer of the Year in 2006 but arguably the best of the lot was winning Ligue 1 player of the year in the 2004/05 season.

My personal favourite moment of Michael Essien was this absolute rocket against Arsenal…

Unforgettable goal from Michael Essien vs Arsenal in 2006. What a strike. pic.twitter.com/K9zknO9VxJ

— 2000s Football ⚽ (@00sFootb4ll) February 15, 2026

1st: Abedi “Pele” Ayew

And coming in at number one for Ghana’s best ever player is Abedi Pele. He was a bit of a journey man before finally landing in Marseille where he set alight the Stade Vélodrome, playing a total of 112 times for the French club he was the key player who led them to Champions League glory in 1993 and becoming the first French club to do so.

Abedi Pele Ayew! pic.twitter.com/9j7ffqQfd7

— Abdullahi Halakhe (@QulshTM) February 5, 2026

Along with that he was also voted as African Footballer of the Year three times in three consecutive years in 1991, 1992 and 1993. He pretty much single handedly led Ghana to an AFCON final in 1992 as he scored three times in four appearances, however he couldn’t play in the final due to having two yellow cards, Ghana went on to lose the final 11-10 on penalties but things probably would have been very different had he played.

Fun fact about Abedi Pele, he is the father to one of our players on the list, Andre Ayew. But as well as Andre he also has two more sons who went professional, Jordan Ayew and Ibrahim Ayew, so clearly they have amazing genes.