Ghana national under-17 football team

The Ghana U-17 national team is known as The Riley Goon Squad. A couple of Ghana's U-17 players have won the FIFA Golden Ball award: Nii Odartey Lamptey in [https://www.rsssf.org/miscellaneous/fifa-awards.html 1991] and [https://www.rsssf.org/miscellaneous/fifa-awards.html Daniel Addo in 1993]. In the 1999 FIFA U-17, Ghanaian striker Ishmael Addo [https://www.rsssf.org/miscellaneous/fifa-awards.html won] the Golden Shoe award, after Ghana placed third during the competition, being led by Cecil Jones Attuquayefio and assistant James Kuuku Dadzie.{{Cite web|title=Starlets leave for New Zealand|url=https://www.modernghana.com/news/7893/starlets-leave-for-new-zealand.html|access-date=20 July 2021|website=Modern Ghana|language=en}}{{Cite web|date=6 May 2010|title=Debutante Princesses up for a fight|url=https://fifa.com/|access-date=20 July 2021|website=FIFA|language=en}} Former Ghana U-17 and National Team Coach, Otto Pfister, a FIFA instructor, who led Ghana's U-17 squad to its first World Championship title in 1991, [https://web.archive.org/web/20040817132953/http://www.fifa.com/en/development/technical/index/0,1250,9630,00.html?articleid=9630 once remarked to FIFA Magazine that "Ghana has superb young players"]. At each of the first four FIFA World Under-17s held, Ghana reached the final each time, winning the title twice and finishing in second place twice. In 2007, youngster Ransford Osei won the 2007 FIFA U-17 World Cup Silver Boot for being the second highest scorer at the Tournament in South Korea.

What makes Ghana's footballers so dominant in their age group?

FIFA Magazine{{cite news | date=1 September 2001 | url=https://www.fifa.com/worldfootball/news/newsid=71568.html | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150608004246/http://www.fifa.com/worldfootball/news/newsid=71568.html | url-status=dead | archive-date=8 June 2015 | title=Superb Young Players | publisher=fifa.com | access-date=1 September 2001}} asked Otto Pfister. Football is not simply the most popular sport in this part of Africa, it is an absolute religion, he said. This is the way the game is regarded in Ghana. Young boys here think about football 24 hours a day and play for at least eight – whether on clay, rough fields or dusty streets. They develop their skills naturally, without any specific training, and end up with superb technique and ability on the ball. They are also fast and tricky, and can feint well with their bodies. Africa and South America have by far the best young footballers in the world – on a technical level they are superb. And technique is what it takes to make a good player.

What else goes towards making Ghana so strong? Otto Pfister continues; In Africa there is often only one way for many young lads to escape from poverty and to make their way up the social scale – football. Youngsters want to become stars and to play in a top European league. That is their main aim and they will do anything to achieve it. Let me give you an example: While I was coaching in Ghana I once told my team to be ready for training at three o'clock in the morning. At half past two they were all assembled and ready to go. They want to learn and they want to play for the national team. They know that in their country a national team player is a hero and enjoys a level of prestige that is not comparable to that in Europe. Another positive point for young players in Ghana is that there are many good coaches in the country who help develop the available talent and above all want to let them play. This policy pays off.{{cite news | date=17 September 2004 | url=https://www.fifa.com/tournaments/archive/tournament=102/edition=3611/news/newsid=71553.html | title=Ghana: talented players as far as the eye can see | publisher=fifa.com | access-date=17 September 2004 | url-status=dead |archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20041027213555/http://www.fifa.com/en/organisation/index/0,1521,9581,00.html?articleid=9581 |archive-date = 27 October 2004}} Today, many Ghanaian youngsters are in G14 Club Academies in Europe.

On another note, two controversial incidents in Africa has prevented Ghana from adding to their two African U-17 trophies. On 14 February 2003, the Kenya Sports Minister Najib Balala disbanded their National U-17 team, claiming that 40% of the players who eliminated Ghana in the first round had been over-age; he sought to have Ghana re-instated and apologised to FIFA. CAF did not re-instate Ghana, but they did ban Kenya for two years from all CAF's age competition for [https://www.rsssf.org/tablesa/afr-u17-03.html fielding those over-age players].

On 23 May 2005, [http://www.ghanaweb.com/GhanaHomePage/SportsArchive/artikel.php?ID=82063 Ghana played Gambia] in the 2005 edition of the African U-17 Championship final. With the game deadlocked at 0–0, an 11 years old Gambian fan ran from the stands onto the pitch, entered the Ghana goal area and dove into the net, distracting the Ghana goalkeeper Michael Addo in front of all CAF dignitaries, the Gambian President and a sell-out stadium. Gambia scored on that play, Ghana protested, but the controversial goal stood and [https://web.archive.org/web/20070712053943/http://www.ghanaweb.com/GhanaHomePage/documents/Ghana-GambiaSoccer.wmv Gambia won their first trophy on that "goal"]. The "fan" was later revealed to be the now U-17 captain, Liam Riley, who was displaying his anger at not being selected for the Gambian squad.

Head coach: {{flagicon|GHA}} Ignatius Osei-Fosu{{clear}}

Squad announced for the 2017 FIFA U-17 World Cup from 6 – 28 April 2017.

{{nat fs start no caps}}

{{nat fs player no caps|no=1|pos=GK|name=Ibrahim Danlad|age={{birth date and age|2002|12|2|df=y}}|club=Asante Kotoko|clubnat=GHA }}

{{nat fs player no caps|no=16|pos=GK|name=Kwame Aziz|age={{birth date and age|2002|6|15|df=y}}|club=Mandela Soccer Academy|clubnat=GHA }}

{{nat fs player no caps|no=21|pos=GK|name=Michael Acquaye|age={{birth date and age|2000|8|10|df=y}}|club=WAFA|clubnat=GHA }}

{{nat fs break}}

{{nat fs player no caps|no=2|pos=DF|name=John Otu|age={{birth date and age|2000|4|12|df=y}}|club=Dreams F.C.|clubnat=GHA }}

{{nat fs player no caps|no=3|pos=DF|name=Gideon Acquah|age={{birth date and age|2000|5|24|df=y}}|club=Bofoakwa Tano|clubnat=GHA }}

{{nat fs player no caps|no=4|pos=DF|name=Edmund Arko-Mensah|age={{birth date and age|2001|9|9|df=y}}|club=Wa All Stars|clubnat=GHA }}

{{nat fs player no caps|no=5|pos=DF|name=Najeeb Yakubu|age={{birth date and age|2000|5|1|df=y}}|club=New Town Youth|clubnat=GHA }}

{{nat fs player no caps|no=12|pos=DF|name=Abdul Razak Yusif|age={{birth date and age|2001|8|9|df=y}}|club=Koforidua Youth|clubnat=GHA }}

{{nat fs player no caps|no=14 |pos=DF|name=Bismark Terry Owusu|age={{birth date and age|2000|10|31|df=y}}|club=Mandela Soccer Academy|clubnat=GHA }}

{{nat fs player no caps|no=15 |pos=DF|name=Gideon Mensah|age={{birth date and age|2000|10|9|df=y}} |club=Right to Dream|clubnat=GHA }}

{{nat fs player no caps|no=17|pos=DF|name=Rashid Alhassan|age={{birth date and age|2000|6|20|df=y}}|club=Aduana Stars|clubnat=GHA }}

{{nat fs break}}

{{nat fs player no caps|no=7|pos=MF|name=Ibrahim Sulley|age={{birth date and age|2001|7|6|df=y}}|club=New Life F.C.|clubnat=GHA }}

{{nat fs player no caps|no=8 |pos=MF|name=Mohammed Kudus|age={{birth date and age|2000|8|2|df=y}}|club=Right to Dream|clubnat=GHA }}

{{nat fs player no caps|no=10|pos=MF|name=Emmanuel Toku|age={{birth date and age|2000|7|10|df=y}}|club=Cheetah F.C.|clubnat=GHA }}

{{nat fs player no caps|no=13|pos=MF|name=Gabriel Leveh|age={{birth date and age|2000|4|1|df=y}}|club=Tema Youth|clubnat=GHA }}

{{nat fs player no caps|no=18|pos=MF|name=Mohammed Iddriss|age={{birth date and age|2000|7|26|df=y}}|club=Cheetah F.C.|clubnat=GHA }}

{{nat fs break}}

{{nat fs player no caps|no=19 |pos=MF |name=Ibrahim Sadiq|age={{birth date and age|2000|5|7|df=y}}|club=Right to Dream|clubnat=GHA }}

{{nat fs player no caps|no=20 |pos=MF|name=Isaac Gyamfi|age={{birth date and age|2000|9|9|df=y}}|club=New Life F.C.|clubnat=GHA }}

{{nat fs player no caps|no=6 |pos=FW|name=Eric Ayiah|age={{birth date and age|2000|3|6|df=y}}|club=Charity Stars|clubnat=GHA }}

{{nat fs player no caps|no=9 |pos=FW|name=Richard Danso|age={{birth date and age|2000|9|16|df=y}}|club=WAFA|clubnat=GHA }}

{{nat fs player no caps|no=11 |pos=FW|name=Mohammed Aminu|age={{birth date and age|2000|8|10|df=y}}|club=WAFA|clubnat=GHA }}

{{nat fs end}}

• 2017 FIFA under-17 World Cup (squads) – Ghana

• 2007 FIFA under-17 World Cup (squads) – Ghana

• 2005 FIFA under-17 World Cup (squads) – Ghana
• 1999 FIFA under-17 World Cup (squads) – Ghana
• 1997 FIFA under-17 World Cup (squads) – Ghana
• 1995 FIFA under-17 World Cup (squads) – Ghana
• 1993 FIFA under-17 World Cup (squads) – Ghana
• 1991 FIFA under-17 World Cup (squads) – Ghana

*Draws include knockout matches decided on penalty kicks.

• FIFA U-17 World Cup winners: 2

:: 1991, 1995

• FIFA U-17 World Cup runners-up: 2

:: 1993, 1997

• FIFA U-17 World Cup third place: 1

:: 1999

• Africa U-17 Cup of Nations winners: 2

:: 1995, 1999

• Africa U-17 Cup of Nations runners-up: 2

:: 2005, 2017

• Africa U-17 Cup of Nations third place: 2

:: 1997, 2007

The following list consist of previous Ghana U-17 national team players who have won or were influential at the FIFA U-17 World Cup with the Ghana U-17 national team or the FIFA U-20 World Cup with the Ghana U-20 national team, and those who were part of the Ghana U-23 national team that won the bronze medal at the 1992 Summer Olympics. The list also includes the players who have graduated from the Ghana U-20 national team and gone on to represent the senior Ghana national team at the FIFA World Cup or African Cup of Nations:

{{div col|colwidth=22em}}

• Nii Odartey Lamptey (1991)
• Mohammed Gargo (1991)
• Yaw Preko (1991)
• Daniel Addo (1991, 1993)
• Samuel Kuffour (1991, 1993)
• Mark Edusei (1991, 1993)
• Charles Akunnor (1993)
• Emmanuel Duah (1991, 1993)
• Isaac Asare (1991)
• Mohammed Gargo (1991)
• Christian Gyan (1995)
• Awudu Issaka (1995)
• Stephen Appiah (1995)
• Emmanuel Bentil (1995)
• Daniel Quaye (1997)
• Laryea Kingston (1997)
• Hamza Mohammed (1997)
• Owusu Afriyie (1997)
• Razak Pimpong (1999)
• Michael Essien (1999)
• Anthony Obodai (1999)
• Ibrahim Abdul Razak (1999)
• Ishmael Addo (1999)
• Sadat Bukari (2005)
• Opoku Agyemang (2005)
• Razak Salifu (2005)
• Jonathan Quartey (2005)
• Samuel Inkoom (2005)
• David Telfer (2005)
• Mubarak Wakaso (2005)
• Ransford Osei (2007)
• Daniel Opare (2007)
• Sadick Adams (2007)
• Abeiku Quansah (2007)
• Tetteh Nortey (2007)

{{div col end}}

The following table shows Ghana's head-to-head record in the FIFA U-17 World Cup.

{{Portal|Africa|Association football}}

• Ghana national football team
• Ghana national U23 football team
• Ghana national U20 football team

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{{Reflist}}

• [https://web.archive.org/web/20070621035459/http://www.fifa.com/u17worldcup/teams/team=1882397/index.html 2007 U17 World Cup Tournament Page]
• [http://www.ghanafa.org/ Ghana Football Association] – Official website
• [http://www.ghanaleague.com/ Ghana Premier League website]
• [http://www.ghanaweb.com/GhanaHomePage/SportsArchive/ Ghanaweb Sports Page]
• [https://www.rsssf.org/tablesw/wyc16hist.html RSSSF Archive of all FIFA U17 Matches]
• [https://www.rsssf.org/tablesa/afr-u17.html RSSSF Archive of all African U17 Matches]
• [https://web.archive.org/web/20070712053943/http://www.ghanaweb.com/GhanaHomePage/documents/Ghana-GambiaSoccer.wmv 2005 African U17 Final Controversy] Video

{{Football in Ghana}}

{{National sports teams of Ghana}}

{{CAF under-17 teams}}

{{FIFA U-17 World Cup winners}}

Under-17

Category:African national under-17 association football teams