Afriyie Acquah facts for kids
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Acquah with Ghana in 2015
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| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | Afriyie Acquah | ||
| Date of birth | 5 January 1992 | ||
| Place of birth | Accra, Greater Accra, Ghana | ||
| Height | 1.79 m | ||
| Playing position | Midfielder | ||
| Youth career | |||
| –2005 | Goldfields | ||
| 2005–2008 | Glentoran | ||
| 2008–2009 | Mine Stars | ||
| 2009 | Bechem United | ||
| 2009–2010 | D.C. United Agogo | ||
| 2010–2011 | Palermo | ||
| Senior career* | |||
| Years | Team | Apps† | (Gls)† |
| 2011–2013 | Palermo | 31 | (0) |
| 2012–2013 | → Parma (loan) | 13 | (0) |
| 2013–2015 | 1899 Hoffenheim | 0 | (0) |
| 2013–2015 | → Parma (loan) | 41 | (1) |
| 2015 | → Sampdoria (loan) | 10 | (1) |
| 2015–2018 | Torino | 71 | (5) |
| 2018–2019 | Empoli | 28 | (2) |
| 2019–2021 | Yeni Malatyaspor | 60 | (3) |
| 2021–2022 | Al-Batin | 8 | (0) |
| 2023 | Al-Quwa Al-Jawiya | ||
| 2023–2024 | Chitwan | 8 | (0) |
| National team | |||
| 2012–2021 | Ghana | 39 | (1) |
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Afriyie Acquah (born 5 January 1992) is a professional footballer from Ghana. He plays as a midfielder, which means he helps both defend and attack for his team.
Contents
About Afriyie Acquah
Afriyie Acquah learned to speak Italian after moving to Italy in 2010. He chose the number 94 for his jersey to honor his mother. She survived a car accident in that year, and the number is a special dedication to her.
Afriyie's Football Journey
Starting His Career
Afriyie Acquah was born in Accra, Ghana. He started playing football at the Glentoran Football Academy in Sunyani, Ghana. During his time there, he was recognized as the "Best Ghanaian Midfielder Under-14."
Later, he moved to Bechem United. In April 2009, he even played a match for Bechem United against an Italian club called Empoli.
Playing in Italy: Palermo
On 1 February 2010, Palermo, a club in Italy, signed Acquah. He chose the number 94 shirt for his new team.
Acquah made his first appearance for Palermo on 13 February 2011. He came into the game as a substitute during a match against Fiorentina. By April, he had played four games and signed a five-year contract with Palermo, which would keep him with the club until 2016.
Loan to Parma
On 16 July 2012, Palermo decided to loan Acquah to another Italian team, Parma. This meant he would play for Parma for a while but still belonged to Palermo.
Moving to Germany: Hoffenheim
In January 2013, Acquah moved to Germany to play for Bundesliga club Hoffenheim. However, he did not get to play any matches for them during the rest of that season.
Back to Parma (on loan)
In July 2013, Acquah returned to Parma again, this time on a loan for the whole season. He played much more this time, appearing in 27 league games during the 2013–14 season.
During this period, Acquah scored his first goal as a professional footballer. This happened on 2 April 2014, in a game against Roma. Because he played so well, his loan was extended for another year.
Loan to Sampdoria
In February 2015, his loan at Parma ended early. He then moved to another Italian team, Sampdoria, also on a loan deal. He played his first game for Sampdoria, playing for the full 90 minutes, against Chievo.
Playing for Torino
On 19 June 2015, Afriyie Acquah signed a four-year contract with Torino, another club in Italy.
Joining Empoli
On 17 August 2018, Acquah signed with Serie A team Empoli.
Playing in Turkey: Yeni Malatyaspor
After his contract with Empoli ended, Acquah joined the Turkish club Yeni Malatyaspor on 23 August 2019. He signed a two-year contract. After playing for a year, he became the team's deputy captain and was given his favorite number 6 jersey.
Moving to Saudi Arabia: Al Batin
On 22 June 2021, Acquah signed a two-year deal with the Saudi Arabian club Al Batin FC. He joined them as a free agent after his contract with Yeni Malatyaspor finished. He left the club on 1 January 2022.
Playing in Iraq: Al-Quwa Al-Jawiya
On 1 February 2023, Acquah joined the Iraqi club Al-Quwa Al-Jawiya.
International Career with Ghana
Afriyie Acquah has also played for his home country, Ghana.
On 26 February 2012, he was called up to the Ghana squad to play against Chile. He made his first appearance for Ghana's senior team on 29 February 2012. On 13 October 2012, he scored a goal for Ghana in a match against Malawi.
In May 2014, Acquah was chosen for Ghana's team for the 2014 FIFA World Cup. He made his World Cup debut on 2 June 2014, coming on as a substitute in a game against Portugal.
He also played in the Africa Cup of Nations in 2015. Ghana reached the final but lost to the Ivory Coast in a penalty shootout. Acquah was named the "Man of the Match" in that final game, even though he missed his penalty kick.
How Afriyie Acquah Plays
Afriyie Acquah is a strong and energetic player. He usually plays as a defensive midfielder. This means he plays in front of the defense to help protect his team's goal. He is known for his speed, strength, and ability to win the ball back from opponents.
Even though he is great at defending, he can play in different parts of the midfield. He can help his team both in defense and attack because he works very hard and is consistent. He can also make runs into the opponent's penalty area to help score goals.
Acquah has a good first touch and can start attacking plays with long passes after winning the ball. He is naturally right-footed but can use both feet well. Because of his strong performances and energetic style, he has been compared to another famous Ghanaian footballer, Michael Essien.
Career Statistics
Club
| Club | Season | League | Cup | Europe | Other | Total | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Division | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | ||
| Palermo | 2010–11 | Serie A | 11 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 14 | 0 |
| 2011–12 | Serie A | 20 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 23 | 0 | |
| Total | 31 | 0 | 4 | 0 | 2 | 0 | — | 37 | 0 | |||
| Parma (loan) | 2012–13 | Serie A | 13 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | — | 13 | 0 | ||
| 1899 Hoffenheim | 2012–13 | Bundesliga | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | — | 0 | 0 | ||
| Parma | 2013–14 | Serie A | 27 | 1 | 1 | 0 | — | — | 28 | 1 | ||
| 2014–15 | Serie A | 14 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | — | 14 | 0 | |||
| Total | 54 | 1 | 1 | 0 | — | — | 55 | 1 | ||||
| Sampdoria | 2014–15 | Serie A | 10 | 1 | — | — | — | 10 | 1 | |||
| Torino | 2015–16 | Serie A | 29 | 2 | 2 | 1 | — | — | 31 | 3 | ||
| 2016–17 | Serie A | 20 | 2 | 2 | 0 | — | — | 22 | 2 | |||
| 2017–18 | Serie A | 22 | 1 | 4 | 0 | — | — | 26 | 1 | |||
| Total | 71 | 5 | 8 | 1 | — | — | 79 | 6 | ||||
| Empoli | 2018–19 | Serie A | 28 | 2 | 0 | 0 | — | — | 28 | 2 | ||
| Career total | 194 | 9 | 13 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 209 | 10 | ||
International
| National team | Year | Apps | Goals |
|---|---|---|---|
| Ghana | 2012 | 3 | 1 |
| 2013 | 0 | 0 | |
| 2014 | 5 | 0 | |
| 2015 | 11 | 0 | |
| 2016 | 5 | 0 | |
| 2017 | 6 | 0 | |
| 2018 | 3 | 0 | |
| 2019 | 3 | 0 | |
| 2020 | 2 | 0 | |
| 2021 | 1 | 0 | |
| Total | 39 | 1 | |
Honors
Al-Quwa Al-Jawiya
- Iraq FA Cup: 2022–23
Ghana
- Africa Cup of Nations runner-up: 2015
See also
In Spanish: Afriyie Acquah para niños
