Jonathan Mensah facts for kids
.jpg)
Jonathan with Columbus Crew in 2017
|
||||||||||||||||||||||
| Personal information | ||||||||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | Jonathan Mensah | |||||||||||||||||||||
| Date of birth | 13 July 1990 | |||||||||||||||||||||
| Place of birth | Accra, Greater Accra, Ghana | |||||||||||||||||||||
| Height | 1.88 m (6 ft 2 in) | |||||||||||||||||||||
| Position(s) | Defender | |||||||||||||||||||||
| Youth career | ||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2004–2006 | Ashanti Gold | |||||||||||||||||||||
| Senior career* | ||||||||||||||||||||||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) | |||||||||||||||||||
| 2007–2008 | Ashanti Gold | 29 | (2) | |||||||||||||||||||
| 2008–2009 | Free State Stars | 39 | (2) | |||||||||||||||||||
| 2010–2011 | Udinese | 0 | (0) | |||||||||||||||||||
| 2010–2011 | → Granada (loan) | 15 | (1) | |||||||||||||||||||
| 2011–2016 | Evian | 49 | (2) | |||||||||||||||||||
| 2012–2015 | Evian II | 7 | (0) | |||||||||||||||||||
| 2016 | Anzhi Makhachkala | 15 | (0) | |||||||||||||||||||
| 2017–2022 | Columbus Crew | 159 | (6) | |||||||||||||||||||
| 2023 | San Jose Earthquakes | 25 | (0) | |||||||||||||||||||
| 2024 | New England Revolution | 8 | (0) | |||||||||||||||||||
| International career‡ | ||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2009 | Ghana U20 | 9 | (0) | |||||||||||||||||||
| 2009– | Ghana | 70 | (1) | |||||||||||||||||||
|
Medal record
|
||||||||||||||||||||||
| *Club domestic league appearances and goals, correct as of 23:46, 7 April 2024 (UTC) ‡ National team caps and goals, correct as of 19:33, 10 December 2022 (UTC) |
||||||||||||||||||||||
Jonathan Mensah (born on July 13, 1990) is a professional footballer from Ghana. He plays as a defender. People often call him simply Jonathan to avoid mixing him up with another player named John Mensah.
Jonathan has played for many teams, including Ashanti Gold, Free State Stars, Granada, Evian, Anzhi Makhachkala, Columbus Crew, San Jose Earthquakes, and New England Revolution. He has also played for the Ghana national team in two World Cups.
Jonathan started his career in Ghana with Ashanti Gold. He then moved to South Africa to play for Free State Stars. Later, he went to Europe, signing with the Italian club Udinese. He was loaned to Granada in Spain, where he played 15 games. After that, he joined Ligue 1 club Evian in France. In 2016, he moved to Anzhi Makhachkala in Russia. In 2017, Jonathan joined Columbus Crew SC and helped them win the MLS Cup in 2020.
For his country, Jonathan helped Ghana win the 2009 African Youth Championship and the 2009 FIFA U-20 World Cup. He then joined the senior national team and played in the 2010 and 2014 World Cups. He also helped Ghana reach the finals of the Africa Cup of Nations twice.
Contents
Jonathan's Club Journey
Starting at Ashanti Gold
Jonathan began his professional football journey at Ashanti Gold in Ghana. He made his first team debut in the 2007–08 season when he was just 17 years old. In his only season with the senior team, he played 29 games and scored two goals.
Playing for Free State Stars
In September 2008, Jonathan moved to South Africa to join Free State Stars. He scored his first goal for the club in January 2009. He played 26 games that year. He even had a tryout with a Greek club, Panathinaikos, but couldn't sign with them.
He continued to play for Free State Stars in the 2009–10 season. He scored another goal in November 2009. Before January 2010, big European clubs like Udinese and Bordeaux showed interest in him. Udinese eventually signed him.
Time with Udinese and Granada
Jonathan officially joined Udinese in Italy on January 1, 2010. He signed a three-year contract. However, he was immediately loaned out to Granada, a Spanish club. This was so he could get more playing time.
He didn't play any matches for Granada during his first six-month loan. But Granada won their league and were promoted. Jonathan was loaned back to Granada for the 2010–11 season. He finally made his debut for Granada in August 2010. He scored his first goal for them in November. He played 15 games and helped Granada get promoted to La Liga, Spain's top league. Jonathan never actually played a game for Udinese.
Moving to Evian in France
On July 8, 2011, Jonathan joined Evian, a team that had just been promoted to Ligue 1 in France. He signed a four-year contract. He made his debut in September but then got injured and didn't play much for a while.
In the 2012–13 season, he played a few games but struggled with injuries and national team duties. He even played some games for Evian's reserve team.
Jonathan returned to the first team in 2013. He scored his first goal for Evian in December. He played 27 games that season and helped Evian avoid being moved down to a lower league.
After the 2014 FIFA World Cup, some big European clubs were interested in Jonathan. But he stayed with Evian for the 2014–15 season. He played regularly at the start of the season and scored another goal. However, he later faced injuries and a ban from FIFA.
Contract Issue and Ban
In May 2015, Jonathan was banned from playing club football for four months by FIFA. This happened because of a contract issue when he joined Evian in 2011. FIFA said he was still under contract with Udinese when he signed with Evian. Jonathan appealed the decision, but the ban was upheld. The ban meant he couldn't play for his club for a few months, but he could still play for Ghana. After his original contract with Evian ended, he signed a new deal with them.
He missed the first three months of the 2015–16 season because of the ban. He returned to play in November but then got injured again. He left Evian before the end of February 2016. In total, he played 60 games for Evian over five seasons, scoring two goals.
Playing in Russia with Anzhi Makhachkala
On February 23, 2016, Jonathan signed a contract with Russian Premier League club Anzhi Makhachkala. He made his debut soon after. He helped the team avoid being moved down to a lower league by playing well in the final games of the season.
In the 2016–17 season, Jonathan didn't play as much. He left Anzhi in early 2017 after playing 19 games for them.
Success with Columbus Crew
On January 3, 2017, Jonathan joined Major League Soccer club Columbus Crew in the United States. He became an important player for the team. He made his debut in March and scored his first goal for the Crew in August. Even though he faced some criticism in his first season, he was a key part of the team.
Before the 2020 season, Jonathan was named captain of the Columbus Crew. He played every minute of every game in 2020. He led the team to win the MLS Cup, their first trophy in 12 years. He was also the first African player to captain a team to an MLS Cup victory. In 2021, he scored 4 goals for the Crew.
Later Career in MLS
On February 10, 2023, Jonathan moved to the San Jose Earthquakes. He played 25 games for them. In January 2024, he joined New England Revolution as a free agent, reuniting with his former coach.
Jonathan's International Career
Jonathan started playing for Ghana's national youth teams. He helped the Ghana U20s win the 2009 African Youth Championship. He also played a big role when Ghana won the 2009 FIFA U-20 World Cup. In the final against Brazil, Ghana won in a penalty shootout.
Early Senior Team and World Cups
Because of his great performances with the youth teams, Jonathan was called up to the Ghana senior team. He made his debut in May 2009. He was part of the squad for the 2010 Africa Cup of Nations, where Ghana finished second.
He was then selected for the 2010 FIFA World Cup. He played in two group stage games and helped Ghana win against the United States in the round of 16.
Jonathan scored his first goal for Ghana in a friendly game against Togo in February 2011. He also played in the 2012 Africa Cup of Nations and the 2013 Africa Cup of Nations.
In May 2014, Jonathan was named in Ghana's squad for the 2014 FIFA World Cup. He started every match for Ghana at the tournament.
Africa Cup of Nations and World Cup Qualifiers
Jonathan played in every minute of Ghana's 2015 Africa Cup of Nations campaign, helping them reach the final. Ghana lost in a penalty shootout to Ivory Coast, but Jonathan scored his penalty kick. He also played in the 2017 Africa Cup of Nations.
Ghana had played in three World Cups in a row, but they did not qualify for the 2018 FIFA World Cup. Jonathan played in five qualification games. He even wore the captain's armband for Ghana for the first time in a game against Congo in September 2017, which Ghana won 5–1.
Jonathan's Life Off the Field
Jonathan is a very religious person. He reads from the Psalms before every game. He is also friends with other Christian footballers like Christian Atsu and Odion Ighalo.
In July 2013, Jonathan started his own charity called the Jonathan Mensah Foundation. This foundation helps less fortunate institutions and orphanages in Ghana. They have helped clean up and donate to places like the Royal Seed Home and Dzorwulu Special School. In 2017, Jonathan was named the Columbus Crew Humanitarian of the Year for his charity work and volunteering in the Columbus community.
Career Statistics
Club Appearances
| Club | Season | League | National Cup | League Cup | Continental | Other | Total | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Division | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | ||
| AshantiGold | 2007–08 | Ghana Premier League | 29 | 2 | 0 | 0 | — | 0 | 0 | — | 29 | 2 | ||
| Free State Stars | 2008–09 | Premier Soccer League | 26 | 1 | 1 | 0 | — | — | — | 26 | 1 | |||
| 2009–10 | 13 | 1 | 1 | 0 | — | — | — | 14 | 1 | |||||
| Total | 39 | 2 | 2 | 0 | — | — | — | 40 | 2 | |||||
| Granada (loan) | 2009–10 | Segunda División B | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | — | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | ||
| 2010–11 | Segunda División | 15 | 1 | 0 | 0 | — | — | 0 | 0 | 15 | 1 | |||
| Total | 15 | 1 | 0 | 0 | — | — | 0 | 0 | 15 | 1 | ||||
| Evian | 2011–12 | Ligue 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | — | 1 | 0 | ||
| 2012–13 | 6 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | — | 6 | 0 | ||||
| 2013–14 | 26 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | — | — | 27 | 1 | ||||
| 2014–15 | 11 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | — | — | 12 | 1 | ||||
| 2015–16 | Ligue 2 | 5 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | — | 7 | 0 | |||
| Total | 49 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 0 | — | — | 53 | 2 | ||||
| Evian II | 2012–13 | National 3 | 6 | 0 | — | — | — | — | 6 | 0 | ||||
| 2015–16 | 1 | 0 | — | — | — | — | 1 | 0 | ||||||
| Total | 7 | 0 | — | — | — | — | 7 | 0 | ||||||
| Anzhi Makhachkala | 2015–16 | Russian Premier League | 6 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | — | 2 | 0 | 8 | 0 | ||
| 2016–17 | 9 | 0 | 2 | 0 | — | — | — | 11 | 0 | |||||
| Total | 15 | 0 | 2 | 0 | — | — | 2 | 0 | 19 | 0 | ||||
| Columbus Crew | 2017 | MLS | 26 | 2 | 0 | 0 | — | — | 5 | 0 | 31 | 2 | ||
| 2018 | 27 | 1 | 0 | 0 | — | — | 3 | 0 | 30 | 1 | ||||
| 2019 | 24 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | — | — | 24 | 0 | |||||
| 2020 | 23 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | — | 4 | 0 | 28 | 0 | |||
| 2021 | 29 | 2 | 0 | 0 | — | 3 | 2 | — | 32 | 4 | ||||
| 2022 | 30 | 2 | 0 | 0 | — | — | — | 30 | 2 | |||||
| Total | 159 | 7 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 3 | 2 | 13 | 1 | 175 | 9 | ||
| San Jose Earthquakes | 2023 | MLS | 26 | 0 | — | — | — | 1 | 0 | 27 | 0 | |||
| New England Revolution | 2024 | MLS | 8 | 0 | — | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 11 | 0 | |||
| Career total | 347 | 14 | 6 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 6 | 2 | 16 | 1 | 376 | 16 | ||
International Appearances
| Ghana | ||
| Year | Apps | Goals |
|---|---|---|
| 2009 | 1 | 0 |
| 2010 | 9 | 0 |
| 2011 | 6 | 1 |
| 2012 | 4 | 0 |
| 2013 | 7 | 0 |
| 2014 | 11 | 0 |
| 2015 | 11 | 0 |
| 2016 | 6 | 0 |
| 2017 | 5 | 0 |
| 2018 | 1 | 0 |
| 2019 | 4 | 0 |
| 2021 | 3 | 0 |
| 2022 | 1 | 0 |
| Total | 69 | 1 |
International Goals
| No. | Date | Venue | Opponent | Score | Result | Competition |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 8 February 2011 | Bosuilstadion, Antwerp, Belgium |  Togo |
2–1 | 4–1 | Friendly |
Awards and Achievements
Jonathan has won several awards and championships throughout his career:
With Granada
- Segunda División B: 2009–10 (a Spanish league title)
- La Liga play-offs: 2011 (helped team get promoted)
With Columbus Crew
- MLS Cup: 2020 (major league championship in the USA)
- Campeones Cup: 2021 (a cup competition)
With Ghana U20 National Team
- FIFA U-20 World Cup: 2009 (world championship for youth teams)
- African Youth Championship: 2009 (African championship for youth teams)
Individual Awards
- Columbus Crew SC Humanitarian of the Year: 2017 (for his charity work)
- Columbus Crew SC Defender of the Year: 2018, 2019, 2020 (best defender on his team)
- MLS Best XI: 2020 (named one of the best 11 players in the league)
See also
In Spanish: Jonathan Mensah para niños
