Michael Helegbe

{{Infobox football biography

| name = Michael Helegbe

| fullname = Michael Kafui Helegbe

| image =

| birth_date = {{Birth date and age|1985|9|15|df=yes}}

| birth_place = Accra, Greater Accra, Ghana

| height = 1.67 m

| position = Midfielder

| currentclub = Shabab Al-Aqaba

| clubnumber =

| youthyears1 = 1992–1996

| youthclubs1 = SS Marseille Model Football Academy

| years1 = 2003–2006

| clubs1 = Liberty Professionals

| caps1 =

| goals1 =

| years2 = 2005

| clubs2 = → SK Brann (loan)

| caps2 = 2

| goals2 = 0

| years3 = 2006–2009

| clubs3 = En Avant Guingamp

| caps3 = 30

| goals3 = 0

| years4 = 2009–2010

| clubs4 = KV Oostende

| caps4 = 25

| goals4 = 4

| years5 = 2010–2012

| clubs5 = Liberty Professionals

| caps5 = 24

| goals5 = 5

| years6 = 2012–2013

| clubs6 = Asante Kotoko

| caps6 = 29

| goals6 = 2

| years7 = 2013–2014

| clubs7 = Medeama

| caps7 =

| goals7 =

| years8 = 2014–2016

| clubs8 = Tripoli

| caps8 = 43

| goals8 = 22

| years9 = 2016–2017

| clubs9 = Salam Zgharta

| caps9 = 20

| goals9 = 6

| years10 = 2017–2018

| clubs10 = Mansheyat Bani Hasan

| caps10 =

| goals10 =

| years11 = 2018–

| clubs11 = Shabab Al-Aqaba

| caps11 =

| goals11 =

| nationalyears1 =

| nationalteam1 = Ghana U23

| nationalcaps1 =

| nationalgoals1 =

| nationalyears2 = 2007–2013

| nationalteam2 = Ghana

| nationalcaps2 = 3

| nationalgoals2 = 0

}}

Michael Kafui Helegbe (born 15 September 1985) is a Ghanaian professional footballer who plays as a midfielder for Jordanian club Shabab Al-Aqaba.

Club career

Helegbe started his professional career with Ghanaian Premier League club Liberty Professionals in 2003, before being sent on a 6-month loan to Norwegian side SK Brann on 21 April 2005 with the option of extension for another two years.[http://home.no.net/bstost/ Michael Helegbe er allerede klar for Brann] On 1 July 2005, Helegbe returned to Liberty Professionals.

In January 2007, Helegbe signed a three-and-a-half-year contract with French Ligue 2 side En Avant de Guingamp.[http://www.eaguingamp.com/v2_finale.php?rub=fiche&nb=142&saison=200607 Profile on En Avant de Guingamp website]. {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070928113408/http://www.eaguingamp.com/v2_finale.php?rub=fiche&nb=142&saison=200607 |date= 2007-09-28 }}.{{cite news|url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/football/africa/6230425.stm |title=Helegbe makes Guingamp switch |accessdate=2007-04-05 |date=4 January 2007 |work=BBC Sport – African Football |publisher=BBC}}{{cite web |url=http://www.eaguingamp.com/v2_finale.php?rub=article&nb=1106 |title=Michael Helegbe signe pour 3 ans et demi |access-date=2007-04-05 |author=Amaury |work=Official Club Website |publisher=En Avant Guingamp |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070928113357/http://www.eaguingamp.com/v2_finale.php?rub=article&nb=1106 |archive-date=2007-09-28 }} The Ghanaian midfielder left Guingamp after two years, in August 2009, to join Belgian Second Division club KV Oostende on a one-year deal.{{Cite web|url=https://ghanavoices.wordpress.com/2009/08/28/helegbe-moves-to-belgium/|title = Helegbe moves to Belgium|date = 28 August 2009}}{{Cite web |url= http://www.footgoal.net/fichejoueur.php?id_comp=45&id_club=57&id_joueur=4483 |title= Michael Helegbe Kafui {{!}} FOOTGOAL |access-date= 2011-01-25 |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20091120200315/http://www.footgoal.net/fichejoueur.php?id_comp=45&id_club=57&id_joueur=4483 |archive-date=2009-11-20 |url-status=dead }}

On 29 September 2010, Helegbe returned to Liberty Professionals in Ghana.{{cite news|url=http://www.kickoff.com/news/18015/michael-helegbe-returns-home-after-euro-flop.php |title=Michael Helegbe returns home after Euro flop |access-date=2010-09-29 |date=25 January 2010 |work=kickoff.com – Global |publisher=Kick Off}}[http://westafricanfootball.com/2012/10/25/ten-interesting-players-in-the-glo-premier-league/ TEN INTERESTING PLAYERS IN THE GLO PREMIER LEAGUE] After two years with Liberty, in September 2012 he moved to Asante Kotoko.{{cite news |url=http://www.ghanatoghana.com/Ghanahomepage/winger-michael-helegbe-wants-kotoko-momentum |archive-url=https://archive.today/20130124013334/http://www.ghanatoghana.com/Ghanahomepage/winger-michael-helegbe-wants-kotoko-momentum |url-status=dead |archive-date=2013-01-24 |title=Winger Michael Helegbe wants Kotoko momentum |access-date=2012-10-26 |date=2012-10-20 |work=kickoff.com – Global |publisher=GhanaSoccernet }} On 1 December 2013, Helegbe signed for Medeama.

After two seasons with Lebanese Premier League side Tripoli, where he played 43 league games and scored 22 goals, Helegbe moved to Salam Zgharta. After one season, Helegbe moved to Jordan, playing for Mansheyat Bani Hasan. In 2018, he moved to Shabab Al-Aqaba.

International career

Helegbe made his first international cap playing for the Ghana national team against Austria on 24 March 2007, at the UPC-Arena, Graz, Austria.{{cite web|url=http://www.ghanafa.org/news/read.asp?contentid=1846 |title=Ghana, Austria share the spoils |access-date=2007-04-05 |date=24 March 2007 |work=Official Website |publisher=Ghana Football Association |quote=Michael Helegbe made his Black Stars debut when he came off the bench for Haminu Draman in the second half. The Olympic team captain enjoyed a good game on his debut.}}{{NFT player|pid=21426}} He was also the captain of the Ghana Olympic football team.

Honours

Individual

Lebanese Premier League Team of the Season: 2014–15{{Cite web|date=10 June 2015|title=|script-title=ar:مهرجان كرة المنار الـ19|url=https://www.annahar.com/article/243764-%D9%85%D9%87%D8%B1%D8%AC%D8%A7%D9%86-%D9%83%D8%B1%D8%A9-%D8%A7%D9%84%D9%85%D9%86%D8%A7%D8%B1-%D8%A7%D9%8419|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190510223601/https://www.annahar.com/article/243764-%D9%85%D9%87%D8%B1%D8%AC%D8%A7%D9%86-%D9%83%D8%B1%D8%A9-%D8%A7%D9%84%D9%85%D9%86%D8%A7%D8%B1-%D8%A7%D9%8419|archive-date=10 May 2019|access-date=26 February 2019|website=An-Nahar|language=ar}}