4 Foreign Players Who Can Help Ghana’s World Cup Campaign

The Black Stars play against their eternal rivals and close neighbors, the Super Eagles, in what will be an epic match to determine who qualifies for the 2022 World Cup in Qatar. The playoffs will be held on March 24-29, and all I can say is may the best team win. If the recent Afcon 2022 results are anything to go by, then Ghana needs a new game plan because their performance was dismal, and their fans weren’t happy.

Ghana was knocked out of the tournament in the group stages without registering a single win. On the other hand, the Super Eagles soared through the group stage and were later eliminated by Tunisia in the Round of 16. With both teams out of the competition, their focus will be on the World Cup 2022, and we expect an all-out match.

If Ghana wins their World Cup qualifier match, they’ll be making their fourth appearance in the celebrated world competition. The Black Stars track record speaks for itself with appearances in the 2006, 2010, and 2014 World Cup competitions and being one of three African teams to reach the quarter-finals.  

But what will be different this time? Well, the Ghana Football Association (GFA) has an ace up its sleeve, and that’s to tap the potential of foreign players. There are football stars playing in top leagues and countries who have roots in Ghana. 

In fact, Anthony Baffoe, the secretary-general of the Professional Football Association of Ghana (PFAG) and the first foreign player to represent the Black Stars, suggested ideas to bring in the foreign players. 

Will the players accept the invite to play for Ghana and increase the Black Star’s odds in the best betting sites? Only time will tell. Even though there are many foreign players of Ghanaian origin, the four listed below are likely to join the national team and tip the odds in the Black Star’s favour.

Callum Hudson-Odoi | England

Top on the list is Chelsea and England winger Hudson-Odoi who has made several visits to Ghana making Ghanaians hopeful that he’ll join the national team. Odoi’s parents were born in Ghana but later acquired citizenship in England. The young lad has made three appearances for the Three Lions and several others in the England U21.

When Odoi visited Ghana in June last year, he had a meeting with Ghana’s president, Nana Akufo-Addo, Ghana’s sports minister, Mustapha Ussif, and Ghana’s Football Association president, Kurt Okraku. This, plus his recent visit to the country, builds speculation that the Black Star’s will have Odoi as part of their team. 

Tariq Lamptey | England

Tariq Lamptey is another England player who has been invited to play for the Black Stars. The right-back has impressive defensive play coupled with speed and skill, making him an asset for any team. So it’s easy to see why Milovan Rajevac, Ghana’s coach, has his eyes on him.

Tariq’s parents are both Ghanaians, and the 21-year old has shown interest in playing for Ghana. If the constant talks between the player and the Ghana Football Association turn out to be fruitful, then the Black Stars will have a right-back they can count on. 

Kelvin Yeboah | Italy

Born in Accra, Ghana, Yeboah is the second top scorer in the Austrian Bundesliga 2021-22 season. The youngster is a talent to watch out for with five assists and 11 goals to his name. Yeboah grew up in Italy, and it’s where he built his career as a footballer. 

Last year, Yeboah found himself in a pickle when Ghana’s coach then, CK Akonnor, invited him to play for Ghana in the World Cup qualifiers, but one week later, Yeboah was called up for the Italy U21 team. The youngster opted to play for Italy, but his chances are open, and he might play for Ghana this time.

Eddie Nkeitah | England

Ghanaian Eddie Nkeitah has been England’s U21 wonderboy with a 14-goal record, the highest so far. He’s a top striker and perfectly fits the role of goal-scorer Asamoah Gyan. But as you can tell, with such high stats, the England team never fails to call up Nkeitah. 

Over the years, Ghana has tried to invite Nkeitah to play for the national team, but the youngster humbly declines the invite. For the 2022 World Cup, the Ghana Football Association will be trying to persuade the top striker to join the Black Stars one more time, so all we can do is hope and wait.

If all these players accept the invite to play for Ghana in the World Cup, you can sure bet that the Black Stars will be a force to reckon.