When it comes to football, goals win games. Yes, you need an all-round team that displays strength in every area of the pitch. However, if you don’t have someone up front who can put away the chances then everything else becomes pointless. Over the years, Ghana has produced some outstanding strikers. While some have stayed and played at home, others have travelled the world with their skills.
What makes a great striker isn’t perhaps as simple as some may think. There is much more to it than just firing the ball into the back of the net. There needs to be an abundance of control when on the ball, there needs to be lightening pace, and there needs to be the ability, as well as the desire, to assist wherever needed
Is football a popular game in Ghana?
Before we look at the best strikers from Ghana, it is worth considering just how popular this sport is. Over the years, it has climbed to become the most popular one in the country. The national team has competed at the World Cup as well as at the Olympics on several occasions.
The true popularity of the sport though can be appreciated by looking at the betting markets that exist. There are plenty of Ghanaians participating in online sports betting and, for the majority of these, football is the sport of choice.
Now we know that Ghana has a true love affair with football, let’s jump in and look at the best three strikers of all time.
Edward Acquah
Not all of the best strikers from Ghana have played the modern game. Our first, Acquah, was at the peak of his game long before today’s footballers were even born. You’d have to head right back to the 1960s to see him play and 1963 proved to be one of his best years. This was the year when he scored two spectacular goals in a 3-0 win over Sudan. It was this victory that saw the team winning its first AFCON title.
During his career, Acquah scored an impressive 45 goals for Ghana. This tally came from just 41 appearances. This sees him as being Ghana’s second-highest goalscorer of all time. At the height of his game, he was often referred to as ‘the man with a sputnik shot’.
Dan Owusu
Creeping ever so slightly forward ins time, Owusu was a Ghanian footballing star throughout the 1970s. It was between 1974 and 1976 that he ended up being the top goal scorer in the Ghana Premier League meaning that he achieved this three seasons in a row.
Owusu was feared by every defender that he came up against. However, his best performances came when he partnered alongside the great Kwesi while playing for Bofoakwa Tano. When these two were playing together, there wasn’t a defender goalkeeper, around who could stop them.
Tony Yeboah
Yeboah was the Ghanian striker that travelled, finding great success overseas. In fact, he became the Ghanian striker to experience the most success in Europe. His time playing for Leeds United saw him score some simply stunning goals, as well as landing the club’s Player of the Year award after only two seasons.
Awards were plentiful for Yeboah. Back in 1997, he was announced as the Ghana Footballer of the year. His 59 international appearances saw him scoring an impressive 26 times. He found himself in the top three on more than one occasion when it came to the African Footballer of the year awards. He even found himself in the top 10 in the 1993 FIFA Player of the year poll.
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