Denis Odoi and Kamal Sowah helped propel Club Brugge KV to the round of 16 of the 2022/23 UEFA Champions League competition.
As the team advances to the knockout rounds of UEFA’s premier club tournament, the two have been crucial to the club’s success this season in the competition.
Sowah, a 22-year-old attacker, has been outstanding for the Belgian side this season, contributing two goals and two assists in the league. Odoi, who has established himself as a key player at the back line, has played a key role in the team’s five clean sheets in six games during the group stage this year.
Club Brugge made history by making it to the UCL round of 16 for the first time after several tries.
Ghana and Ajax midfielder Kudus Mohammed continued his rich vein of form in the UEFA Champions League on Tuesday night as he scored a goal and provided an assist in his side’s 3-1 win over Rangers.
The Ghanaian set up teammate Steven Berghuis just inside four minutes for the opening goal before scoring the second goal himself in the 29th minute.
Kudus started the move before ghosting into the Ranger’s box and was given the time and space to switch from his favourite left foot onto his weaker right before shooting into the net as it deflected off a Rangers defender.
The home side pulled one back from the spot after Alfredo Morelos missed an open goal after robbing Ajax goalie Pasveer of the ball.
Rabbi Mantondo was deemed to have been fouled by Edson Alvarez in the box and a penalty was awarded to Rangers which James Tavernier converted to make it 2-1.
Portuguese youngster Francisco Conceição added the third goal for Ajax with a fine curler to make it 3-1.
Kudus played the entire duration of the game in his usual false nine roles but his side drops into the UEFA Europa League.
The Ghanaian has four goals and two assists in the UEFA Champions League this season.
Some Ghanaians on social media, especially on Twitter have hailed Mohammed Kudus after his exciting performance against Rangers in the UEFA Champions League.
Kudus was on the scoresheet for the Dutch champions and also provided and as assist as they beat Rangers 3-1 in Ibex.
The 22-year-old was exceptional and his goals involvement put him head and shoulders above all the players on the field as he won the man-if-the-match-award.
The goal against Rangers took his tally to four goals in six matches while providing two assists in the process.
Also, the man-of-match award was his second in the competition. Ajax finished third in their group and therefore has been relegated to the Europa League.
Check out some reactions below
Mohammed Kudus’ stats in one champions league campaign looks quite stellar
— Saddick Adams (@SaddickAdams) November 1, 2022
— ???????????? ???????????????? ???? (@TheEuropeanLad) November 1, 2022
— Delali Phrank Awutey (@delaliphrank) November 1, 2022
— Max TV (@maxtvgh) November 1, 2022
????????Mohammed Kudus is a goal away from matching Andre Ayew’s goal scoring record in the Champions League (5)
Dede Ayew has played 24 games (started 19 times), Kudus on the other hand has played just 8 games (started 6) pic.twitter.com/4OBgWYefI2
— Bortey ???????? (@joelbortey) November 1, 2022
A fully fit Partey, inform Kudus and goal scoring Inaki Williams will win Ghana the WorldCup in Qatar
— NUNGUA (Dr Burna) (@burnaculer) November 1, 2022
⚽️????️ vs Rangers
⚽️ vs Napoli
⚽️ vs Liverpool
⚽️????️ vs Rangers
Mohammed Kudus has now contributed to six goals in the Champions League for Ajax this season, all as a false 9.???????????? pic.twitter.com/uoIx9aEmCa
— Yaw Ampofo Jr (@Yaw_Ampofo_) November 1, 2022
Anytime Kudus plays for Ajax, he gives out his very best and scores too.
I pray Schreuder considers starting him always!
— Elvis ???????? (@Kayjnr10) November 1, 2022
Mohammed Kudus scoring in the World Cup Month, herr Ghana is winning this
— Twilight????????????☠️ (@the_marcoli_boy) November 1, 2022
Mohammed Kudus with another champions league goal ????????????????
— Fentuo Tahiru Fentuo (@Fentuo_) November 1, 2022
— Gary Al-Smith (@garyalsmith) November 1, 2022
Kudus goal plus assist watch reactions from Ghanaians, our star boy is cooking????????????????
The English Premier League side snatched the first spot in Group D from the jaws of Olympique de Marseille at the 50,000-packed Stade Vélodrome on Tuesday, November 1, 2022.
The 2019 UEFA Champions League runners-up staged a comeback at the Stade Vélodrome after Clement Lenglet’s second-half header and Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg’s strike in stoppage time snatched a dramatic 2-1 win at Marseille who took the lead through Chancel Mbemba in the 46th minute.
The 2-1 victory took Tottenham to the top of the table with 11 points followed by German club, Eintracht Frankfurt who finished the group stages with 10 points.
In a video that has been sighted by GhanaWeb, Harry Kane, Yves Bissouma and other Spurs players were seen jamming to Burna Boy’s ‘Last Last’ song as it was being played in the locker room.
The life of a footballer is short as the average footballer gets to play actively for 10 years. While many go to real estate, hotels, and other investment ventures with the money they get while playing, only a handful pursue a career in academia.
Footballers across the globe do not have a reputation for intelligence as there is an ill-conceived perception that unintelligent people chase a career in football but there are those who have made themselves to be an exception to that rule.
Today we look at six footballers who are actively playing the sport and are on top of their game but have still managed to get degrees and other academic certificates even with a very busy tight schedule.
1. Romelu Lukaku – Inter Milan (On loan from Chelsea)
Born on May 13, 1993, to Adolphine Bolingoli Lukaku and father, Roger Lukaku, in the city of Antwerp, Belgium, Romelu picked up a career in football at an early age after he was enrolled in the Rupel Boom academy team.
Romelu has had a great career after playing for Anderlecht, Chelsea, Manchester United, Everton, and Inter Milan.
Aside from scoring over 300 goals in his career, Lukaku is also an intelligent young man who can speak eight languages. The 29-year-old can speak German, English, Portuguese, Spanish, French, Italian, Dutch, and a Swahili dialect.
He also has a degree in tourism and international relations from the University of Leuven.
2. Juan Mata
Best known for his time in the English Premier League with Chelsea before joining rivals Manchester United in 2014.
34-year-old Mata who set up Didier Drogba to score that iconic UEFA Champions League goal in 2012 is second on our list with two degrees.
Juan Mata is a brilliant football with an Ivy League education. He holds two degrees from the Universidad Camilo Jose Cela, one in Sports Science and another in Marketing.
3. Simon Mignolet
The Belgium goalkeeper is the only shot-stopper in this list who is best remembered for his time in the English Premier League with giants Liverpool.
Born on March 6, 1988, the Belgian international is the second player on this list who has two degrees despite playing football actively.
Simon Mignolet holds a degree in both law and political sciences. The 34-year-old Club Brugge goalkeeper graduated from the Catholic University of Leuven in Belgium.
4. Giorgio Chiellini
Considered to be one of the greatest defenders of his time, Giorgio Chiellini is one of the most decorated players to have ever played in the Italian Serie A.
The Italian international who is also the captain of Juventus wasn’t satisfied with just being one of the best defenders in the world so he decided to take on another challenge and that was in academia.
Giorgio Chiellini is not just a genius on the Football pitch. The Italian defender graduated with a Masters’ Degree in Business Administration from The University of Turin’s School of Management and Economics.13 Jun 2022.
Giorgio is the only player on this list who has a Masters’s Degree. He completed his Bachelor’s Degree in Economics and Commerce in 2010 and graduated with a Masters’ Degree in Business administration in 2017.
He got both his degree and masters from the University of Turin.
5. Gerard Pique
Another player on our list is Barcelona and Spanish international, Gerard Pique Bernabeu.
Pique is one of the most decorated players in history after winning the Champions League, Premier League, Club World Cup, Super Cup, Euros, and FIFA World Cup with Manchester United, Barcelona, and the Spanish national team.
Gerard Pique is not only good at football but also at academia. He has a Business Economic Degree from of the most prestigious business institutions in Europe.
He graduated from, the ESADE business school in Barcelona, Spain.
Wilfried Ndidi
Representing the brothers on the continent is Nigerian international, Wilfred Ndidi.
Considered to be one of the best midfielders in the English Premier League, 25-year-old Wilfred Ndidi also has an academic qualification which according to the player is his retirement plan.
Wilfred Ndidi bagged a degree in Business Management at De Montfort University in the UK in August 2022.
Former Ghana midfielder Kwadwo Asamoah has expressed his disappointment following Juventus poor start to the 2022/23 season.
Juve were eliminated at the group stage of the UEFA Champions League for the first time since 2013-14, after picking up just three points from five games, their worst ever tally at this stage of the tournament.
In the league, the former Serie A champions are 7th on the league table with 22 points, 10 points above leaders Napoli after 12 matches played so far.
“I haven’t seen all the Juventus matches, but in the ones I followed the feeling is that the hunger, the determination and the Juve spirit that I learned from Conte are not always maximum,” Asamoah told The Gazzetta dello Sport.
“There is a lack of continuity, which is one of the qualities fundamental for wearing the black and white jersey when you play for Juventus, there are no “normal” games: they are all decisive and especially those to be won at any cost against low-middle-ranking teams.”
He added, “In my time Conte and the various Buffons, Chiellini, Barzagli, Marchisio and Bonucci were decisive in transmitting certain values to me, to young people and to the new ones.”
“Now Bonucci has remained. Leonardo does his, but now he is a bit alone … I’m sorry, and it’s a shame, not to see the Juventus of the past that we were all used to anymore.”
Conte has been mentioned in connection with a potential return to the Allianz Arena because to Juventus’ dismal performance under Max Allegri this season.
The Italian juggernauts are now ranked sixth in Serie A with 22 points after being eliminated from the UEFA Champions League.
Allegri has come under intense pressure due to the team’s performances with calls for him to be sacked.
Asamoah who played for the Old Ladies for six seasons winning multiple titles with the club had this to say on Conte returning to the club.
“Yes, his hunger is lacking. A return to Turin would not surprise me”, the 33-year-old told La Gazzetta dello Sport.
The former Inter Milan left-back stated that the current Juventus team lack the determination and hunger which was in existence under the former manager.
“I have not seen all the Juventus matches, but in the ones I followed the feeling is that the hunger, the determination and the Juve spirit that I learned from Conte are not always maximum. There is a lack of continuity, which is one of the fundamental qualities for wearing the black and white shirt.
“Conte is like that, he is a great coach and an exceptional motivator: both in training and in a match he never lets you relax. He always wants to go one hundred percent and he is the first to lead by example. And then he takes great care of the details: with him you can miss a step, but not a position. Pogba is a champion, he will give a great hand to the team “, he added.
Kwadwo Asamoah won six Scudettos , four Coppa Italias and three Super Cups with Juventus before leaving the club to join Inter Milan in 2020.
Asamoah announced his retirement from the sport last month.
Former Ghana international, Kwadwo Asamoah has said he will not be surpirsed to see his former boss, Antonio Conte return to Juventus.
Conte has been linked with a possible return to the Allianz Arena following Juventus poor performance in the ongoing season under Max Allegri.
The Italian giants have been kicked out of the UEFA Champions League and are currently placed sixth on the Serie A table with 22 points.
Allegri has come under intense pressure due to the team’s performances with calls for him to be sacked.
Asamoah who played for the Old Ladies for six seasons winning multiple titles with the club had this to say on Conte returning to the club.
“Yes, his hunger is lacking. A return to Turin would not surprise me”, the 33-year-old told La Gazzetta dello Sport.
“Conte is a world-class coach and at Juventus he has already done a great job in past. A job that then continued with excellent results Allegri, another great coach’”.
The former Inter Milan left-back stated that the current Juventus team lack the determination and hunger which was in existence under the former manager.
“I have not seen all the Juventus matches, but in the ones I followed the feeling is that the hunger, the determination and the Juve spirit that I learned from Conte are not always maximum. There is a lack of continuity, which is one of the fundamental qualities for wearing the black and white shirt.
“Conte is like that, he is a great coach and an exceptional motivator: both in training and in a match he never lets you relax. He always wants to go one hundred percent and he is the first to lead by example. And then he takes great care of the details: with him you can miss a step, but not a position. Pogba is a champion, he will give a great hand to the team “, he added.
Kwadwo Asamoah won six Scudettos , four Coppa Italias and three Super Cups with Juventus before leaving the club to join Inter Milan in 2020.
Asamoah announced his retirement from the sport last month.
Ghanaian youngster Ibrahim Sadiq has won the 2022 Swedish Allsvenskan title with BK Hacken.
The title represents the 22-year-old’s his first-ever silverware with the Black and Yellow lads since joining the Swedish top-tier club from FC Nordsjaelland in January.
Sadiq has become a fan favourite at BK Hacken and has been one of the consistent performers for the club.
He made 25 appearances for the club across all competitions, scored eight goals and provide two assists in the process.
The former Right to Dream Academy talisman provided an assist in BK Hacken’s 4-0 away win over IFK Göteborg to lift the league trophy with a game left in the ongoing season.
In the league, the highly-rated forward has featured in 18 matches this seasonfor BK Hacken, bagged seven goals and registered three assists in the process.
By virtue of winning the Swedish Allsvenskan title, BK Hacken have also secured their place in the next season’s UEFA Champions League.
Barcelona were relegated to the second-tier UEFA European competition after Inter beat Victoria Plezn on Wednesday, October 26, 2022, to go 6 points above the Catalans with a game to spare.
Inter’s win came in a kick-off with Barcelona’s scheduled for a late kick-off against Bayern Munich.
After their exit and yet another defeat at the hands of their nemesis, Bayern Munich, rival fans have teased Barcelona, who spent heavily in the 2022 summer transfer but failed to advance beyond the group stages.
Below are some reactions:
Barcelona getting dragged to Europa League second year in a row after activating 7 levers, selling half their assets & spending €600m in one transfer window: pic.twitter.com/wuZ9i95tty
— PhD Ilkay ???????? ¹⁴ (@DrNacho_RM) October 26, 2022
Barcelona and Manchester United recreating the 2009 UCL finals in the Europa League next year will be the most hilarious thing to happen in soccer this century. Finished clubs!
— Kofi Denzel 14???????????????? (@StvrDenzel) October 27, 2022
When you’re feeling stupid just remember Barcelona sold their stadium to a music application just for them to play Europa league.
— Ghana Yesu ☦️ (@Ghana_Yesu_) October 27, 2022
In 2016 Real Madrid were in crisis, they signed their legend Zidane as a Manager and he went on to win the UCL after 6 months
Fast forward to 2021 Barcelona tried to copy Real and Appointed their legend Xavi as a Manager, Now they’re in Europa league for the second ssn in a row
— WelBeast (@WelBeast) October 27, 2022
Xavi has already lost 5 European games as the Barcelona manager. Zidane three-peated the UCL before his 5th defeat. pic.twitter.com/DZ6GKZMnUU
— TC (@totalcristiano) October 26, 2022
Barcelona hijacked us just to hear the Europa League anthem again pic.twitter.com/SLvcuoUlGQ
— Dubois (@CFCDUBois) October 26, 2022
The cedi dey perform pass Barcelona
— KALYJAY (@gyaigyimii) October 26, 2022
We have to appreciate Bayern more for consistently bringing us Barcelona tears, we love you ????❤️
— Trey (@UTDTrey) October 26, 2022
Real Madrid fans seeing Barcelona and Atletico Madrid head to the Europa League ???? pic.twitter.com/Ntostaf4Uy
— ESPN FC (@ESPNFC) October 26, 2022
Welcome to the Europa League @FCBarcelona . Vamos
— Mempeasem President (@AsieduMends) October 26, 2022
Welcome back Barcelona!#UCLpic.twitter.com/N4iPqqsVcY
— Rana Fatih The 12th Harbinger (@rfjr20586) October 27, 2022
Welcome back @FCBarcelona ????
— UEFA Europa League ???? (@Differential_PL) October 26, 2022
Dutch-striker of Ghanaian descent, Brian Brobbey has admitted that Ajax lost to a better team in the UEFA Champions League in mid-week when the side fell to Napoli.
The young forward was a second half substitute on Wednesday when Ajax lost 4-2 to the Italian Serie A club.second-half
“If you look at the last game, I thought we were much better than in the other game. But Napoli is a good team,” the talented striker said.
He further shared that he would have loved to he introduced earlier to help his Ajax teammates fight for a comeback.
“Of course I’ll start on the couch. I also prefer to be in the base. I thought I should have come in much earlier today, at the 2-1,” Brian Brobbey added.
Courtesy of the defeat in midweek, Ajax risk limitation from this season’s UEFA Champions League.
Ajax could exit this season’s UEFA Champions League at the end of the group stages following a run of three matches without a win.
The Dutch giants starter this season’s campaign with a big win against Rangers. Since that game, the team has lost once to Liverpool and twice to SSC Napoli.
In the first meeting with Napoli, Ajax suffered a humiliating 6-1 defeat at home before going on to lose 4-2 in the reverse fixture at in Italy.
Speaking after the second game, striker Brian Brobbey has admitted that his Ajax side lost to a Napoli side that was better.
“If you look at the last game, I thought we were much better than in the other game. But Napoli is a good team,” the young striker shared.
Meanwhile, Brian Brobbey also felt he should have been introduced earlier in the second meeting of the Napoli game.
“Of course I’ll start on the couch. I also prefer to be in the base. I thought I should have come in much earlier today, at the 2-1,” the forward added.
After the two defeats to Napoli, Ajax are now oh rye brink of elimination from the UEFA Champions League as the team sits third on the log.
Dutch giants, Ajax are on the brink of elimination from this season’s Uefa Champions League following three successive defeats in Group A.
The club on Wednesday evening locked horns with SSC Napoli in the fourth group game of the campaign.
On the matchday, Ghana star Mohammed Kudus was in action for the team as the Dutch side chased victory against the Italian Serie A team.
Unfortunately, the defending Eredivisie side was no match for the opponent.
A strong display from SSC Napoli saw the team cruise past Ajax with a deserved 4-2 victory to go top of the Group A standings of this season’s Uefa Champions League.
The defeat meant that Ajax are now on just three points from the first four matches in the group.
The team won the first game against Rangers but has since gone to sleep and lost once to Liverpool and twice to Napoli.
If Mohammed Kudus and his Ajax teammates want to stay in the European inter-club competition, the side must win the remaining two matches in the group and hope results from other grounds go in their favour.
Ghana international, Kamal Sowah was in action for Club Brugge on Wednesday evening when the team held Atletico Madrid to a goalless draw in the Uefa Champions League.
On the matchday, Ghanaian youngster Kamal Sowah started for the team from Belgium as the side picked a vital point to deny the Spanish La Liga giants a much-needed win.
In the final minutes of the first half, the youngster received a yellow card for a foul and had to play with caution in the second half.
Unfortunately in the 82nd minute, the hardworking attacker received another yellow card which attracted a red card.
Courtesy of the red card, Kamal Sowah will now miss the next Club Brugge match in the Uefa Champions League against FC Porto.
That game is scheduled to be played on October 26, 2022.
In the first leg of the tie last month, Kamal Sowah was on the score sheet and helped his team to beat the Portuguese opponent 4-0.
He is expected to be missed in the attack of his team during the return fixture.
Ghana midfielder Mohammed Kudus has lifted the lid on his goal against Liverpool in the UEFA Champions League after the strike was voted the club’s goal of the month.
The 22-year-old continued his impressive goal scoring form at Anfield, however it was not enough as Joel Matip’s late header against the Dutch champions gave the Reds their first win in the competition.
Liverpool created plenty of openings and deservedly went ahead when Mohamed Salah swept home Diogo Jota’s pass. Kudus’ searing shot went in off the underside of the bar to level but Matip’s 89th minute header won it.
“It was a collective goal, we played like 25 passes and everyone touched the ball and it was a very nice team goal,” Kudus told Ajax TV after receiving the award.
“It feels good to win the award and it keeps motivating me to keep doing more and keep assisting my team.
“It was special to score at Anfield because the goal brought us on level terms, I was in a different world when the ball went in and you could see from my reaction, a lot of energy and I really wanted to go to our fans to celebrate but they were the other side so it was difficult.
“It could have been a better feeling if the goal gave us a win, I watch the goal every day, it was a hell of a strike.”
Th goal was Kudus’ 5th goal in four matches for Ajax. In total, he has scored eight goals and provided one assist in 13 appearances across all the competitions.
Ghana forward Kamal Sowah has expressed his excitement after scoring in Club Brugge’s 2-0 win over Atletico Madrid in the UEFA Champions League on Tuesday.
Sowah, who lasted the entire duration of the game put up an impressive performance for his side at the Jan Breydel Stadium in Belgium.
The former Leicester City attacker scored in the 36th minute before Ferran Jutglà made it 2-0 in the 62nd minute to seal all three points.
“Yes, I don’t really realize it yet, but I think we certainly deserved this victory,” said Sowah as quoted by the club’s website. “We have worked very hard the last few days with the whole team to achieve such a result.”
“Especially the way we came out tonight, especially the tactical plan we had was just right. My goal was actually not that difficult. I passed the ball to Ferran (Jutglà, ed.) and just kept walking, hoping I would get the ball back and that’s how the 1-0 happened.
He added, “Of course it is unbelievable that after my first goal for Club in Porto I could now also score against Atlético. And then all our supporters who went crazy.”
“They kept shouting at us with all the consequences. 0-4 against Porto and now 2-0 against Atlético Madrid, I think I rate this victory higher.”
Club Brugge are currently first in Group B with nine points after three games.
The Dutch giants will play host to the Italian outfit tonight in their third Group A game before traveling to Naples for the reserve fixture of the European top-flight competition.
Ahead of the game, Kudus who has been in a rich vein of form has set sights on helping his side get a good result in both legs to better their chances of qualifying from the group.
“Every game in the group stage is really important because it’s a very tight group. Home and away, both games is really important, so we need a result in both games. So I think every game matters because you can see is very tight in our group” he said.
Kudus has already been named in the Dutch Eredivisie team of the month following his outstanding performances in the last month.
The Ghana superstar bagged six goals in five appearances in all competitions together with two man of the match awards in September.
He has scored 7 goals and provided 1 assist in 11 appearances for the Dutch giants.
Football fans have been shocked to learn that Chelsea manager Thomas Tuchel has been fired.
Football fans including Chelsea fans have been hit with shock after the club announced that they had parted ways with Tuchel after nearly three years with the club.
The German’s dismissal comes after a string of inconsistencies in results since the start of the season, culminating in a humiliating 1-0 loss to Dinamo Zagreb on the opening day of the UEFA Champions League.
Although the majority are stunned, some believe firing a coach after a short run of poor results is a Chelsea trait, a precedent set by a former owner, Roman Abramovich, and now followed by a new owner, Todd Boehly.
Thomas Tuchel managed his 100th game as Chelsea manager in the defeat to Zagreb and was hoping to do so again, but it all appears to be a pipe dream.
“It’s nice, 100 is very nice. I hope there will be another 100 then another 100 coming,” he said as quoted by the club’s website.
He recorded 62 wins, 19 draws, and 18 losses within his period as Chelsea manager. He won three major titles, UEFA Champions League, UEFA Super Cup, and the FIFA Club World Cup.
Omo that Thomas Tuchel news shock me tbvh i got no idea seeing this happening NGL💔
Thank you Thomas Tuchel, what a shock, such a class individual and coach that open my eyes to what was possible once again at Chelsea Football Club 💙
Heads have begun to roll just after Tuesday’s UEFA Champions League matchday one with two managers being shown the exit.
After the games on Tuesday, September 6, 2022, RB Leipzig and Chelsea, who recorded shocking defeats on opening day, have let go of their managers.
The dismissed managers were already walking on eggshells following poor starts to the new season and the shells got smashed after a disappointing turn of results on matchday one.
RB Leipzig – Domenico Tedesco
RB Leipzig had a nightmarish start in the Champions League as they were thrashed 4-1 at home by Shakhtar Donetsk.
The German club bid farewell to the 36-year-old Italian manager the morning after the defeat, ending his 9 months stay at the club.
He won the German Cup and led Leipzig to the semi-finals of the Europa League last season.
The defeat on Tuesday night was his fourth of the new season in matches in all competitions. He won only two of those.
The club sits 11th on the Bundesliga table with 5 points.
Chelsea – THomas Tuchel
Chelsea had an unwanted start to their Champions League campaign following their 1-0 away loss to Dinamo Zagreb.
The big news the morning after the defeat was the surprise sacking of Thomas Tuchel as manager of the club.
Tuchel managed his 100th game as Chelsea manager in the defeat to Zagreb and was hoping to do so again, but it all appears to be a pipe dream.
He recorded 62 wins, 19 draws, and 19 losses within his period as Chelsea manager. He won three major titles, UEFA Champions League, UEFA Super Cup, and the FIFA Club World Cup.
After six games, Thomas Tuchel leaves the club in sixth place with 10 points, a win and two draws behind leaders Arsenal.
Legendary Cameroonian footballer Samuel Eto‘o selected three-time African Player of the Year Abedi Pele as his favorite Ghanaian player of all time.
The legendary Ghanaian player took African and European football by storm in the late 80’s and early nineties, helping Marseille win the UEFA Champions League in 1993.
Abedi Pele became the first player to win the African Player of the Year three times on a row, from 1991 to 1993, and was a member of the Black Stars team that won Ghana’s last AFCON in 1982.
Although, Eto’o likes the likes of Michael Essien and Asamoah Gyan, Abedi Pele tops his list of favourite Ghanaian footballers.
“Abedi Pele, one of the best ever,” Eto’o said on TV3, when asked about Ghanaian players.
Samuel Eto’o is in Ghana for ambassadorial work, following his role as Qatar Legacy Ambassador for the 2022 FIFA World Cup.
Ghana is one of the five countries representing Africa at the Mundial in November.
Bukari was forced off in the 60th minute of the first leg at the Sami Ofer stadium in Israel.
The promising attacker reveals it was for precautionary reasons, and will be ready for the second leg in Serbia.
“I felt a little pain in my muscle. I didn’t want to take any risks, that’s why I asked for a change. I will be ready for the second match,” Bukari told Israel’s Sport1.
Bukari is eyeing a UEFA Champions League group stage spot as he calls on fans of Red Star to come out in their numbers at the Marakana next Tuesday.
“The fans were great. However, it’s different in Belgrade. I hope you’ve seen the footage, get ready for it. If you come and see that atmosphere, you might as well die right away,” he added.
The Black Stars winger provided an assist in the 3-2 defeat on Wednesday in Israel.
Bukari joined the Serbian side this summer and has been impressive for the side.
Former Ghana International and Chelsea star Michael Essien will join his former teammate, Branislav Ivanović to help in the 2021/22 UEFA Champions League group stage draw which would be held on Thursday, August 26, 2021.
The pair are the special guests and will assist in the draw which is made up of 32 football clubs across Europe.
Both Essien and Ivanović won the UEFA Champions League with Chelsea in 2012 after defeating Bayern Munich.
The Ghanaian who plied his trade with the likes of Olympique Lyonnais, Real Madrid AC Milan and other clubs before calling time on his career is now an assistant coach with Danish-side FC Nordsjælland.
Four clubs qualified from the top four leagues which is made up of England, Spain, Italy and Germany, while clubs from Portugal and France got two slots each. Seven other countries were given one slot while six clubs from other countries had to battle for 3 slots.
Chelsea won the Champions League for the second time after beating Manchester City 1-0 in the final to lift their second glorious trophy in the tournament last season.
The fixtures for the Champions League has been slated for September 14 with the final coming off at the Krestovsky Stadium, Saint Petersburg on Saturday, May 28, 2022.
Ghanaian international, Winful Cobbinah is set to make his debut in the UEFA Champions League next season with Albanian champions KF Partizani Tirana.
KF Tirana booked their place in the Champions League after their league win over Flamurtari.
The former Hearts of Oak midfield gem played a key role to help Tirana to clinch the ultimate.
The 28-year-old scored seven times in the Kategoria Superiore this term and also provided two assists in the 29 matches he played for the Blue and Whites.
KF Partizani Tirana won their first league title in 11 years since their last success in 2009 and will play in the UEFA Champions League qualifying rounds in the 2020 21 season.
We shall discuss about UEFA Champions league statistics History. We shall start with most titles won, Real Madrid have Champions league 13 times, while AC Milan Have won it Seven Times. Liverpool Have won it Six times, while Bayern Munich and Barcelona have won it Five times each.
For the most Matches played, Real Madrid have played the most matches, a total of 437 matches. Bayern Munich is the second on the list, they have played 347 Matches while Barcelona have played a total of 316 matches. Manchester united is the fourth on the list and have played 279 matches. While the fifth placed Juventus have played 277 matches.
Most wins in UEFA Champions league goes to real madrid, they have 262 wins, 61 wins more than the second placed Bayern Munich. The third placed Barcelona have 187 wins, while Manchester united have 14 wins more than Juventus.
The Most defeats also go to Real madrid, they have suffered a total of 99 defeats in UEFA champions league history. Anderlecht, Benfica and Dynamo Kiev have suffered 86, 85 and 84 defeats respectively. Porto have also lost 78 times in Champions league.
The most goals scored goes to real madrid, they have scored 971 goals. While Bayern Munich have scored 705 goals in UEFA Champions league. Barcelona have scored 629 goals in Champions league, while Manchester united have scored 506 goals in champions league. Juventus have also scored 439 goals in champions league.
Data analysts have been able to predict the upcoming remainder of games in the UEFA Champions League. With 12 teams currently remaining, they predict a team to finally win the Champions League for the first time.
Stats and data don’t tell the whole story, but they do fill out a lot of the blanks when it comes to comparing and predicting sports.
12 teams remain in the UEFA Champions League including Barcelona, Paris Saint-Germain, Manchester City, Chelsea, Napoli, Juventus, Lyon, Real Madrid, Atletico Madrid, Atalanta, Bayern Munich, and RB Leipzig.
Data analysts fivethirtyeight.com, have used their own data and algorithms to predict the outcome of these 12 teams in the remainder of their Champions League games.
— UEFA Champions League (@ChampionsLeague) June 28, 2020
According to this prediction, Manchester City will be winning their first-ever Champions League trophy and Pep Guardiola’s first since 2011 for Barcelona. The English side are still in their round-of-16 tie against Real Madrid but see themselves with two away goals and Sergio Ramos unavailable for the second leg.
Bayern Munich see themselves second in the predictions, and right fully so. Currently 3-0 up against Chelsea in the round-of-16, the Bavarian giants have dominated their own league as well as Europe since the hiring of Hansi Flick
Atalanta and RB Leipzig see themselves in the top seven, seventh and fifth respectively. The two smallest teams left will see themselves against each other in the quarter-finals and one of them will make the Champions League semi-finals for the first time in their team’s histories.
The Union of European Union Football Association (UEFA) has postponed the “Euro 2020” until 2021 due to the coronavirus pandemic.
According to the Norwegian Football Association Euro 2020, this follows an emergency videoconference meeting held on Tuesday, which was attended by 55 member associations.
The NFF has tweeted it was decided that the competition would now take place from June 11 to July 11 next year.
The decision is set to be signed off by UEFA’s Executive Committee later on Tuesday.
The tournament had originally been due to be held from June 12 to July 12 this year, at venues across a dozen cities in as many different European countries.
The postponement gives an opportunity for European leagues that have been suspended to now finish.
In addition, UEFA’s Nations League and the European Under-21 Championships are also scheduled to take place next summer.
The 2021 UEFA Women’s European Championship is set to be held in England and begins on July 7, five days prior to the proposed men’s final.
The expanded Club World Cup, organised by world football’s governing body FIFA and scheduled for the summer of 2021, now appears unlikely to go ahead as planned.