Ghanaian Players Abroad – 28-30 March, 2014: Norwegian and Swedish leagues open, Asante makes mark in Norway

By Ing. George-Patrick Bediaku (@gpbediaku)

 

The Norwegian Eliteserien kicked off with a host of matches, notable among them being the one with the most Ghanaians involved. Champions Strømsgodset at home to Start. And it was the rather obscure Ernest Kwabena Asante who grabbed a brace.

The Swedish Allsvenskan also kicked off on Sunday.

And…oh… Matthew Amoah is back on the score sheet. Albert Adomah too.

 

England

In the Championship, new left back convert Jeffrey Schlupp played the entire game as leaders Leicester City beat Burnley 2-0 away on Saturday.

Albert Adomah (87 minutes) scored the first goal as Middlesbrough beat Brighton & Hove 2-0 away on Saturday.

Emmanuel Frimpong came on in the 94^th minute as Barnsley went away to beat bottom side Yeovil Town 4-1 on Saturday.

 

In the League Two, Partick Agyemang came on in the 80^th minute as Portsmouth went away to beat Newport County 2-1 on Saturday.

 

Italy

In the Serie A, Sulley Muntari played 45 minutes and was replaced by Michael Essien as AC Milan beat Chievo 3-0 at home on Saturday.

Kwadwo Asamoah played 53 minutes as Juventus went away and were beaten 2-0 by Napoli on Sunday.

Afriyie Acquah played 70 minutes as Parma lost 2-3 away at Lazio on Sunday.

 

In the Serie B, Masahudu Alhassan played the entire game as Latina beat Carpi 1-0 at home on Saturday.

Raman Chibsah played the entire game as Sassuolo lost 0-2 at home to Roma on Sunday.

 

Germany

In the Bundesliga, Anthony Annan came on in the 84th minute for goalscorer Chinedu Obasi as Schalke 04 beat Hertha BSC 2-0 at home on Friday.

 

In the 3Liga, Phil Ofosu-Ayeh played the entire game as MSV Duisburg beat bottom Saarbrücken 2-0 away on Saturday.

 

France

In the Ligue 1, Jordan Ayew played the entire game against his parent club as Sochaux drew 1-1 at home against Andre Ayew’s (90 minutes) Marseille on Saturday.

 

In the Ligue 2, Dennis Appiah featured for Caen who drew 1-1 away at Nancy on Friday.

 

Belgium

In the Pro League, Eugene Ansah came on in the 79^th minute as Lokeren were thrashed 5-1 away by leaders Club Brugge on Friday.

Bennard Yao Kumordzi played the entire game as Genk lost 0-3 at home to Zulte-Waregem on Saturday.

Nana Kwesi Asare played the whole game as Gent lost 0-1 at home to KV Oostende on Saturday.

Harrison Afful scored the winner as ES Tunis beat Réal Bamako 3-0 to eliminate them by from the CAF Champions League, 4-1 on aggregate.

 

Cyprus

In the 1.Division, Carlos Ohene came on in the 45^th minute as AEL Limassol thrashed Ermis FC 4-0 at home on Saturday.

Razak Nuhu played 58 minutes as Apollon Limassol lost 0-3 away to APOEL Nicosia on Saturday.

               

Czech Republic

In the Czech Liga, Isaac Sackey came on in the 12^th minute as Slovan Liberec were thrashed 0-6 away at Viktoria Plzeň on Saturday.

 

Netherlands

In the Eredivisie, Christian Atsu provided the assist for the equaliser before being subbed out in the 73^rd minute as Vitesse drew 2-2 at home with Heerenveen on Saturday.

Kwame Quansah played the entire game, Matthew Amoah came on in the 58th minute and scored a late winner as Heracles beat NEC 2-1 away on Saturday. Quansah was yellow-carded in the 85th minute.

 

Norway

In the Eliteserien, Enock Kofi Adu played the entire game as Stabæk beat Sogndal 3-0 at home on Sunday. Mahatma Otoo was on the bench for the visitors.

Adam Larsen Kwarasey conceded twice, Mohammed Abu played the entire game as Strømsgodset beat Start 4-2 on Sunday, with both the visitors’ goals coming from Ernest Asante. Abu was yellow-carded in the 21st minute.

 

Russia

In the Premier League,

 

Scotland

In the Premiership, Prince Buaben played 62 minutes as Partick Thistle drew 1-1 away with St. Johnstone on Saturday.

 

South Africa

In the PSL, Rashid Sumaila came on in the 74^th minute as Mamelodi Sundowns beat Pretoria University 2-1 at home on Sunday.

John Arwuah played 78 minutes as AmaZulu drew 0-0 away with Bloemfontein Celtic on Sunday.

 

Sweden

In the Allsvenskan, Godsway Donyoh lasted 70 minutes in the season opener as Falkenberg were beaten 0-3 away at Malmö FF on Sunday.

King Osei Gyan played the entire game as Halmstad lost 1-2 at home to Sam Mensah’s Örebro on Sunday. Mensah came on in the 90^th minute.

 

Switzerland

In the Super League, Ebenezer Assifuah-Inkoom played the entire game as FC Sion lost 0-1 at home to St. Gallen on Saturday. He earned himself a 27^th-minute yellow card.

Samuel Afum came on in the 78^th minute as Young Boys were beaten 1-2 away at Aarau on Saturday.

 

Turkey

In the 1Lig, Shaibu Yakubu scored the first goal as 1461 Trabzon drew 2-2 at home with Mersin İdmanyurdu on Saturday.

Emmanuel Banahene played the entire game as Şanlıurfaspor lost 1-3 away at Samsunspor on Saturday.

Richard Kingson, aka Faruk Gursoy, conceded once as Balıkesirspor beat Adanaspor 2-1 at home on Saturday.

 

United States of America

In the MLS, Patrick Nyarko came on in the 57^th minute as Chicago Fire drew 2-2 away at DC United on Saturday.

Gershon Koffie played 76 minutes as Vancouver Whitecaps beat Houston Dynamo 2-1 at home on Sunday.

Khalif Alhassan came on in the 62^nd minute as Portland Timbers lost 1-2 away at Dallas FC on Sunday.

Dominic Oduro played 62 minutes as Columbus Crew beat Seattle Sounders 2-1 away on Sunday.

 

 

Ghanaian Players Abroad – WEEKDAY WRAP – 24-27 March, 2014: Gyan, Adomah both grab brace, Kingson in action

By Ing. George-Patrick Bediaku (Follow on Twitter @gpbediaku)

 

This is the ‘during-the-week’ installment of the Ghanaian Players Abroad segment, where the activities of those players who played between Monday and Thursday are covered.

In this maiden edition, we see a number of Black Stars World Cup hopefuls getting good time for their clubs and putting in some good performances, racking up play time.

Asamoah Gyan and Albert Adomah standing out with the braces that they both scored.

#AlAin may not be on top of the league but @ASAMOAH_GYAN3 is still firing on all cylinders. Arabian Gulf League 21 games, 21 goals, top scorer. AFC Champions League 3 games, 4 goals, top scorer.

Let’s catch up. We start from…

 

Monday, March 24.

Emmanuel Banahene played the entire game as Sanliurfaspor drew 1-1 away with Balikesirspor, who had Richard Kignson in post.

 

Tuesday, March 25.

Jeffery Schlupp played the entire game as Leicester City drew 1-1 at home with Yeovil Town FC.

Albert Adomah grabbed a brace as Middlesbrough came back twice to draw 2-2 away at Huddersfield Town.

Emmanuel Frimpong came on in the 71st minute as Barnsley went away to beat Reading 3-1. 83rd-minute yellow card.

Abdul Osman lasted the entire duration of Crewe Alexandra’s 1-3 home loss to Notts County.

Patrick Agyemang played the entirety of Portsmouth’s 0-3 away loss to leaders Rochdale.

Kevin-Prince Boateng played the entire game as Schalke 04 drew 0-0 away at Borussia Dortmund. 73rd-minute yellow card.

Richmond Boakye Yiadom played 64 minutes as Elche drew 0-0 at home with Athletic Bilbao.

Masahudu Alhassan played the entire game as 10-man Latina lost 0-2 at home to Pescara.

 

Wednesday, March 26.

Isaac Cofie played 57 minutes as Genoa beat 10-man Lazio 2-0 at home.

Alfred Duncan came on in the 77th minute as Livorno lost 0-2 away at Atalanta.

Sulley Muntari played the entire game as AC Milan went away to beat Fiorentina 2-0. Michael Essien was an unused sub.

Kwadwo Asamoah played the entire game as Juventus beat Afriyie Acquah’s (on in the 61st) Parma 2-1 at home.
Asamoah was cautioned in the 30th minute, Acquah in the 85th.

Raman Chibsah played 73 minutes as relegation-threatened Sassuolo lost 1-2 at home to Sampdoria.

Prince Buaben played the entire game as Partick Thistle lost 1-5 at home to Celtic, who by virtue of the win are Champions of Scotland.

Samuel Inkoom played the entire game, Aziz Tetteh came on in the 73rd minute as 10-man Platanias beat Levadiakos 2-0 at home.

Eric Warden was an unused sub for the visitors. Inkoom was shown a 64th-minute yellow card.

Harrison Afful played in Espérance Sportive de Tunis’ 0-0 home draw with Kairouan.

 

Thursday, March 27.

Asamoah Gyan scored twice, a penalty for the winner, as Al Ain beat Emirates 2-1 away.

Emmanuel Agyemang Badu played the entire game as Udinese drew 0-0 away at Internazionale Milan.

 

 

Ghanaian Players Abroad – 21-23 March, 2014: Waris on fire, Cofie scores debut goal

Week-in, week-out, we see Waris impacting on Valenciennes performance and his consistency has been marvellous. He netted another double. 11 games, 8 goals, 3 assists. By far the most in-form Ghanaian export at the moment.

Isaac Cofie also scored a goal, his first for his new club.

On the down side, Jerry Akaminko was shown a red card.

Here’s a comprehensive round of the activities of Ghanaian Players Abroad.

 

England

In the Championship, Albert Adomah played the entire game as Middlesbrough lost 1-3 at home to Queens Park Rangers on Saturday.

Jeffery Schlupp played the entire game as leaders Leicester City drew 1-1 away with Blackburn Rovers on Saturday.

 

In the League One, Abdul Osman came on in the 77^th minute as Crewe Alexandra went away to beat Gillingham 3-1 on Saturday.

Italy

In the Serie A, Joseph Alfred Duncan played the entirety of Livorno’s 1-3 away defeat to Torino on Saturday.

Afriyie Acquah played the entire game as Parma came back and drew 1-1 at home with Genoa on Sunday, Isaac Cofie getting the visitors’ goal. His first ever for the club. Solomon Nyantakyi was on the bench for the hosts.

Emmanuel Agyemang-Badu came on in the 78^th minute as Udinese bat Sassuolo 1-0 at home on Sunday. Raman Chibsah was an unused sub for the visitors.

 

In the Serie B, Moro Alhassan came on in the 88^th minute as Cesena beat bottom Juve Stabia 1-0 at home on Saturday.

 

Germany

In the Bundesliga, Kevin-Prince Boateng played the entire game, Anthony Annan came on in the 80^th minute as Schalke 04 beat Karim Bellarabi’s (74 minutes) Eintracht Braunschweiger 3-1 at home on Saturday.

 

In the 2Bundesliga, Charles Takyi came on in the 54^th minute as bottom Energie Cottbus went away to beat lowly Arminia Bielefeld 3-1 on Sunday.

 

France

In the Ligue 1, Abdul Majeed Waris netted another double (2^nd goal a penalty) as Valenciennes fell to a late surge to lose 2-3 at home to bottom Ajaccio on Saturday.

Andre Ayew played 81 minutes of Marseille’s 0-1 home loss to Rennes on Saturday. John Boye was on the visitors’ bench.

 

In the Ligue 2, Dennis Appiah played the entire game, helping Caen to a 1-1 home draw with Châteauroux on Friday.

 

Spain

In the La Liga, Mohammed Fatau played 60 minutes as Granada beat Richmond Boakey Yiadom’s (on in the 77^th) Elche 1-0 at home on Saturday.

 

Cyprus

In the 1.Division, Gerome Agbo played the first 33 minutes as leaders Nea Salamis beat AE Kouklion 2-1 at home on Saturday.

 

Czech Republic

In the Czech Liga, Isaac Sackey played 90 minutes in Slovan Liberec’s 3-0 home win over Jablonec on Friday.

Joseph Mensah played the first 25 minutes as Slavia Praha lost 1-2 at home to Vysočina Jihlava on Sunday.

 

Greece

In the Super League, Samuel Inkoom and Aziz Tetteh both played the entire game as Platanias lost 0-3 away at Atromitos on Sunday.

 

Ireland

In the Premier Division, Ali Abass (GK) and Prince Agyemang were unused subs as Limerick drew 1-1 away with Saint Patrick’s Athletic on Saturday.

 

Netherlands

In the Eredivisie, Christian Twasam Atsu scored the equaliser but Vitesse lost 1-3 away to Groningen on Saturday.

 

Russia

In the Premier League, Mubarak Wakaso played the entirety of Rubin Kazan’s 0-0 away draw with Dinamo Moskva on Sunday.

 

Scotland

In the Premiership, Prince Buaben came on in the 72^nd minute as Partick Thistle lost 0-1 away at Inverness CT on Saturday.

 

Slovakia

In the Super Liga, John Mensah was subbed out in the 11^th minute, as bottom FC Nitra drew 1-1 away at Trenčín on Saturday.

 

South Africa

Fatau Dauda sat out Orland Pirates’ 2-0 away win over Santos in the Nedbank Cup Last 16 fixture on Friday.

Mohammed Awal played the first half but got injured and was replaced after the break, as Maritzburg played 1-1 in normal time, but beat Platinum Stars 3-1 on penalties to progress to the Quarterfinals of the Nedbank Cup on Saturday.

 

Sweden

David Accam scored the equaliser as Helsingborg beat GAIS 2-1 at home to progress in the Svenska Cupen on Saturday.

Nasiru Mohammed came on in the 52^nd minute as BK Hacken lost 0-1 away to Elfsborg to crash out of the #SvenskaCupen (Swedish Cup) on Sunday.

 

Switzerland

In the Super League, Ebenezer Assifuah-Inkoom came on for Ishmael Yartey in the 61^st minute as FC Sion fell to a 0-2 away loss to Aarau on Saturday.

Samuel Afum came on in the 88^th minute as Young Boys fell to a late surge to lost 0-4 at home to Grasshopper on Sunday.

 

Turkey

In the Super Lig, Jerry Akaminko was shown a red card in the 83^rd minute as Eskişehirspor drew 0-0 away with Rizespor on Saturday.

 

United Arab Emirates

In the Arabian Gulf League, Asamoah Gyan scored from the spot as Al Ain lost 2-3 at home to Al Ahli on Sunday.

 

United States of America

In the MLS, Gershon Koffie came on in the 70^th minute as Vancouver Whitecaps drew 0-0 away with New England Revolution on Saturday.

Dominic Oduro came on in the 66^th minute as Columbus Crew beat Philadelphia Union 2-1 at home on Saturday.

 

 

New Segment: Ghanaian Players Abroad

Call it what you may.

Ghanaian Players Abroad. Ghanaians Playing Abroad. Whichever term, this will be a segment dedicated to the round-up of the activities of Ghanaian footballers who ply their trade outside of the shores of Ghana. From the African continent to the rest of the world.

This #GhanaianPlayersAbroad project has been going on for a while on social media (mainly #Facebook and #Twitter) and not it has been migrated onto this blog.

The aim is to keep everyone updated about the performances of Ghanaian players (doh) in leagues outside Ghana, providing information about the number of minutes played, goals scored, etc. That way, everyone knows who is active and who’s not.

As it is with most things, it will be impossible to cover everyone. Not every single Ghanaian player’s activity can be tracked. So mainly, it either covers those in the top two divisions or just the top.

Another issue is “what makes a player a Ghanaian”? This project covers all who are of Ghanaian parentage. Said players may not have naturalised for Ghana yet, but once they have not yet decided to play for another country and are eligible to play for Ghana, they can be covered.

I hope you enjoy this.

Do well to drop your comments concerning anything. Let’s make this exciting.

 

 

“We have no option but to refund monies” – BOX Office Promotions boss

Box Office Promotions say they are in the dark about Ayittey Powers’ decision to pull out of the much-hyped April 18 bout.

Promoter of the fight, Alex Ntiamoah Boakye, said that he had received calls concerning the matter but nothing official had reached him or his outfit.

In an interview on Power FM’s PSIM, Boakye talked about the repucursions of Ayittey’s action.

“We are not going to take it lightly. This is a fight that is going to be big for Ghana boxing, not only for my company but the industry as a whole. We have spent a lot of money and resources into this fight. We are importing rings from outside the country. There have been a lot of commercials on TV and radio, a lot of publicity for this fight.

“We have even paid commitment fees for this fight. Contracts have been signed. It will be very bad. But we are waiting to hear from him officially.”

Asked whether the signed contracts contained anything that dictates what to do if one of the fighters pulls out. “There’s a clause in the contract. But it will be determined by the GBA. You have to present to them the facts and they weigh it.

“If you’re still not happy, you can then send it to the law court to seek redress.”

“If this fight doesn’t come off, we would have no option but to refund the monies.”

 

“It’s God who said I should not fight” – Ayittey Powers

After a nearly a year of hyping up the fight, Ayittey Powers has decided to pull out of the April 18 fight with Braimah ‘Bukom Banku’ Kamoko.

The news broke on Thursday morning and generated a lot of reaction from the general public, especially on social media.

Speaking on Power FM’s PSIM, Ayittey Powers explained his reason for the shocking decision.

“Boss, it’s not that I pull out or I ran away. The thing is, I can’t do things on my own. The fight is next month. So I had to travel and go and get prayers from my Godfather. [sic]

“And when I got there, my Godfather let me know that I don’t have to fight next month. Unless they can postpone it. If not, then I can’t fight.

“So if people are saying that maybe I ran away, me, I don’t do things on my own. I’m just looking at God. So if God says that I should not fight on the 18th, and I let them know and they’re saying whatever they want to say, I don’t have problem about that.

“I can’t fight next month. Yeah.”

When asked when he would prefer to fight, he said, “From next two months, next three months, I don’t care. But as for next month, I can’t. They can put the fight another time, but not next month.

“As for me, I want to fight. But God said I should hold on. Next month can’t favour me. I can’t fight next month.

“It’s not that I’m sick or something o… I don’t have problem. But I said it’s God who said that. So people should understand me.”

It is uncertain whether this announcement is a plot to generate even more hype around the fight, which is actually what is happening. The fight has been much touted as the biggest ever to be staged in Ghana due to the expectation around it.

On Monday, organisers Box Office Promotions announced that over 3,000 tickets were sold within the first hour of release.

 

INTERVIEW: Daniel Amartey – The Masked Man of Djurgården [Part II]

Osu, Accra | Ghana

 

The news took English and Ghanaian media by storm. But this particular piece of transfer news was peculiar.

The Ghana sports scene had seen several instances where players were rumoured to be moving to big clubs, but would in the end be found out to be a façade. Major indicators of those kinds were that no international news wires would carry it.

But this was different.

“Liverpool line up Daniel Amartey transfer from Sweden’s Djurgarden in January” – http://www.mirror.co.uk

“Liverpool in talks with Ghanaian teenager Amartey who can play in defence and midfield” – http://www.dailymail.co.uk

“Djurgarden star Daniel Amartey confirms transfer talks with Liverpool” – http://www.metro.co.uk

“CONFIRMED: Liverpool in talks with Daniel Amartey over January move” – http://www.dailystar.co.uk

This was looking very positive. But, unfortunately, the move did not materialise. And I wouldn’t blame Brandan Rogers much. I mean, you look at the squad that Liverpool had and the performances they were churning out, they were ‘ok’ even if they didn’t add any more players. But I digress.

What did the man himself make of it all?

“Yeah, it’s true. I was happy when I heard about it. My agent called and told me and I also saw it in the papers in Sweden. We had spoken to some people from Liverpool. All I knew is talks were on-going.”

Even though the move did not happen, Amartey is not worried much. He is confident he can make it in the big leagues.

 

Coupled with the cold weather, Amartey suffered a couple of injuries, a couple he had to carry for a long while. I ask him about the cast on his right wrist.

“I felt pain after a tackle one time in a game and when I went to the hospital, the doctor told me I had a fracture of my wrist. I used to feel pain when it was cold or when I fell. So the doctor said I needed surgery.

“But I also did not want to sit out. I wanted to play the league. So the doctor gave me some protection in the form of a bandage and I had my surgery after the season. That’s how I have this on me. I could only start training after two months.”

Ever wondered what the story behind ‘The Mask’ is? No, not Jim Carey’s movie. ‘The Mask of Djurgården’.

It was intended to be a means of protecting himself but turned out into something different. It earned him an identity. A ‘cult status’ of sorts, among the Djurgården fans. Let Amartey tell us the story.

“[Laughs] ‘The Mask’. I had a fracture of my skull. I think it was my fourth league game and we were away at Nasiru Mohammed’s BK Hacken. It was in a challenge for the ball that my head clashed with an opponent.

“Another x-ray and I was told I had another fracture. I was told to do a surgery and again, me and my manager said no. The other alternative was that I had to use a face mask and let the bone heal.

“I was supposed to use it for just a month. Initially, it was uncomfortable. But I used it in training for a while so I got used to it. Even though it was for protection, the fans took a liking to it and it became more of an identity.”

 

‘The Mask’ has had to endure a rare, uneasy period of inactivity on the field. On his vacation to Ghana, he isn’t even playing. A directive from the team doctors to help heal his wrist.

“It’s been very cool. Just relaxing and spending time with family and friends. Not too much moving around.”

 

Like every young professional, Amartey also dreams of representing Ghana on the international stage. Even before he does that alongside 10 other Ghanaian players, he and Chibsah rep Ghana hard in every game, sporting an armband in the nation’s bright Red, Gold and Green colours with a Black star.

“I believe I have time to prove myself worthy of a call-up. It’s always an honour to don that jersey. I am definitely doing my best so that, by God’s grace, I will be invited to play for the Black Stars. I will be ready.”

 

Moving to a strange, cold land is difficult. But this lanky, six-foot tall midfielder has his ways of relaxing.

“I usually spend a lot of time with Chibsah. In the summer, most of us go out and catch some sun but apart from that, very little ‘outing’. The weather there is cold so it’s all about getting home from training.”

 

His reaction to the following question was one of the brightest parts of the interview. You could see his eyes light up when he spoke. I asked him where his dream destination to play lay.

“My dream is to play in England or France. It has been my fantasy. I just love what I see about those leagues. However, I thank God for wherever I will find myself.”

One thing stays with me from this session. Amartey doesn’t like to say much. (It actually took a lot to get his stories out). But he seemed focused. A strong sense of knowing what he wants. Eyes on the prize. He believes he will make it big. And when that opportunity comes…

Amartey “will be ready”.

 

INTERVIEW: Daniel Amartey – The Masked Man of Djurgården [Part I]

Osu, Accra | Ghana

 

We make our way into Asanka Locals, a famous local food joint in Osu, and get ourselves comfortably seated. Amartey has been beaming with smiles since we exchanged pleasantries outside. His bright smile, undoubtedly one of his many traits that have endeared him to the fans of Swedish side Djurgården FC.

But it wasn’t just the smile. This 19-year old midfielder took the Swedish Allsvenskan League by storm and enchanted the fans, especially those in Johanneshov, Stockholm.

“I have played one professional season with Djurgården as a senior player and it has been amazing.” he says, after taking a sip of the juice in front of him.

And what a year it was for Amartey. The Swedish weather was mostly cold, very different from the warm climate he was used to in Accra, Ghana. But Amartey, along with fellow countrymen Yussif Chibsah and on-loan Godsway Donyoh, helped his new side rise through the season.

“It was a good year. We were down when the league started but we started winning matches and coming back and we rose high.”

Before this whirlwind of a debut European outing, Amartey had been preparing himself in Ghana, waiting for that opportunity.

“I played colts football, I played Teshie-based Zenaps FC. After that I moved on to Inter Allies and played Division One.”

How many players can boast of being poached into European teams straight out of Ghana? Very few. Amartey, however, is fortunate to count himself among the very few.

“The coach that came to Ghana, one Magnus…forgotten his name… [Magnus Pehrsson is the name evading him]…it was one tournament that Inter Allies took part in. I was invited to Sweden for three months. I returned to Ghana shortly and, God being so good, I went back when I turned 18 and signed my first professional contract.”

Scouts had been keeping a tab on the 19-year old midfielder. Amartey could have found himself in another team but for the assertiveness of Djurgården’s administrators.

“The coach told my manager that he was impressed with me. Around the same time, Djurgården’s arch-rivals AIK were lurking and were expressing interest in signing me. Magnus told the owner of Djurgården about this and they put in an offer, and my manager accepted.”

All so easy, right? Amartey opines that it wasn’t the smoothest of journeys, not the easiest of moves to make. But he persevered and it is paying off now.

“I was 16 when I first moved to Sweden. It was hard being away from home but it took discipline and hard work. The coach came down here to Ghana, he saw me. Long story short, I went to play the junior team. The fans loved me. And with my performances, I was given the chance to play the senior team and I took it.

“I had already been playing in Ghana, which everyone knows is difficult. So I adjusted quickly to their play. I knew what I wanted so I did my best. Initially, the weather was terrible. Sometimes, I would kick a ball and the ball would not move much because the foot is freezing. But I fought all that.”

Amartey has definitely paid back with good performances over the season.

In what was one of his trademark explosive plays, Amartey showed why he was a coach Per Mathias Høgmo and fan favourite. It was on the evening of Sunday, October 6, 2013. Djurgården were hosting IFK Göteborg in a league game. Amartey had started the game with his two other countrymen Yussif Chibsah and Godsway Donyoh, the latter only playing the first half.

They were into the 4th minute of 5 minutes added time. A Göteborg defender had ballooned the ball out of his area, hoping to waste the final seconds. Amartey found himself in defence and in possession of the ball.

And it happened.

Amartey evaded the on-rushing attacker, passed the ball to the right winger and exploded into a run. You could hear the commentators mention his name “Amartey…Amartey”, as if they could sense danger was nigh.

Eight seconds! Defence to attack. And when Amartey latched onto the return pass, he was impeded in the box. PENALTY!

Amadou Jawo stepped up and scored the late winner. But Amartey was the hero of the day.

“That was a memorable game. I was happy when I watched the video of that play. It was after the 90th minute, I think. I don’t know how it happened but I always told myself I had to give my all. And I guess that was one of the moments.

“The fans have always been wonderful.”

What’s with his wrist cast? Want to know the story behind ‘The Mask’? Was the Liverpool connection really true?

Catch Part II of this interview with Daniel Amartey.