Stephen Appiah facts for kids
Appiah with Fenerbahçe in 2006
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| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | Stephen Leroy Appiah | ||
| Date of birth | 24 December 1980 | ||
| Place of birth | Accra, Ghana | ||
| Height | 1.78 m (5 ft 10 in) | ||
| Position(s) | Midfielder | ||
| Senior career* | |||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) |
| 1995–1997 | Hearts of Oak | 21 | (19) |
| 1997–2000 | Udinese | 36 | (0) |
| 2000–2003 | Parma | 28 | (0) |
| 2002–2003 | → Brescia (loan) | 31 | (7) |
| 2003–2005 | Juventus | 48 | (3) |
| 2005–2008 | Fenerbahçe | 64 | (11) |
| 2009–2010 | Bologna | 2 | (0) |
| 2010–2011 | Cesena | 14 | (0) |
| 2012 | Vojvodina | 11 | (1) |
| Total | 255 | (41) | |
| International career | |||
| Ghana U17 | |||
| Ghana U20 | |||
| 1996–2010 | Ghana | 67 | (15) |
| *Club domestic league appearances and goals | |||
Stephen Leroy Appiah (born 24 December 1980) is a famous Ghanaian former professional footballer. He played as a midfielder for many top clubs like Udinese, Parma, Brescia, Juventus, and Fenerbahçe.
Appiah was a very important player for the Ghana national team. He played for Ghana at youth, Olympic, and senior levels. He was the captain when Ghana made its first ever appearance at the 2006 FIFA World Cup and also led them in the 2010 FIFA World Cup.
Contents
Club Career Highlights
Stephen Appiah started his football journey at a young age. He played for local clubs before moving to Europe.
Early Career in Ghana and Italy
Appiah began his career at Hearts of Oak in Ghana in 1995 when he was just 15 years old. In 1997, he moved to Italy to join Serie A team Udinese. He played there for three seasons, starting as a striker and later moving to a deeper midfield role.
After Udinese, he joined Parma in 2000. He played two seasons there before going on loan to Brescia for the 2002–03 season. At Brescia, Appiah became a regular player and scored seven goals in 31 games.
Playing for Juventus
Appiah's great performances at Parma caught the eye of Juventus, one of Italy's biggest clubs. Juventus signed him on loan in 2003.
He had a good first season with Juventus, playing in 30 Serie A games. He also played in the Coppa Italia final and made his first appearance in the UEFA Champions League. In his second season, Appiah played in 18 Serie A games for Juventus.
Time at Fenerbahçe
In July 2005, Appiah moved from Juventus to the Turkish club Fenerbahçe. He helped them win the Turkish Super League Championship in their 100th year.
During his time at Fenerbahçe, Appiah faced a serious knee injury. This injury kept him off the field for a long time. He worked hard to recover and get back to playing.
Return to Italy and Serbia
After leaving Fenerbahçe in 2008, Appiah looked for a new club. He had trials with Tottenham Hotspur and Rubin Kazan, but his knee injury was still a concern.
In November 2009, he signed with Bologna in Italy. A year later, in August 2010, Appiah joined Cesena, another Italian Serie A team. His contract with Cesena ended in 2011.
In February 2012, Appiah signed a six-month deal with Vojvodina in Serbia. He played 11 league games and scored one important goal for them. This goal helped Vojvodina finish third in the league and qualify for the UEFA Europa League.
Retirement from Football
After being away from football for two years due to his knee injury, Stephen Appiah announced his retirement on 14 January 2015. He was 33 years old.
To celebrate his amazing career, a special testimonial match was held on 27 June 2015. The game took place at the Accra Sports Stadium in Ghana. It featured the Ghana national team, known as The Black Stars, playing against a team called Appiah XI. This team included many famous former international footballers like Samuel Eto'o and Emmanuel Adebayor. The match ended in a 2–2 draw.
Many important people attended the match, including former Presidents of Ghana, Jerry John Rawlings and John Agyekum Kufour, and the sitting President, John Dramani Mahama. All the money raised from the match and a special dinner went to Appiah's charity, the Step App foundation.
International Career
Stephen Appiah had a fantastic international career playing for Ghana.
Youth and Olympic Teams
Appiah was part of the Ghana team that won the 1995 FIFA U-17 World Championship when he was just 14. They beat Brazil in the final to win the trophy.
In the 2004 Olympic Games in Athens, Greece, Appiah was one of three older players allowed in the squad. He was a stylish and strong attacking midfielder. He scored two goals and played brilliantly in all three group games.
Leading the Black Stars
Appiah made his debut for the senior Ghana national team, the Black Stars, on his 16th birthday in 1996. He came on as a substitute in a match against Benin.
He first became captain of Ghana in a friendly game against Slovenia. He then led the team to make history by qualifying for their first ever 2006 FIFA World Cup. Stephen Appiah captained Ghana in both the 2006 and 2010 FIFA World Cup tournaments.
On 22 August 2010, after Ghana reached the quarter-finals of the World Cup, Appiah announced his retirement from the national team. He was 29 years old. He played 67 games for Ghana and scored 15 goals.
How He Played
Stephen Appiah was known as a talented and strong box-to-box midfielder. This means he was great at both defending and attacking. He could help win the ball back and then quickly move forward to create chances for his teammates or score goals himself.
He had excellent vision, good technique, and was very athletic. He was also known for his powerful and accurate shots from far away with his right foot. Appiah was a versatile player, meaning he could play in different midfield positions, but he usually played in the centre of the field.
Other Activities
Appiah has also been involved in other projects outside of football.
StepApp Clothing Line
In late 2007, Stephen Appiah launched his own clothing line called StepApp in his hometown of Accra. All the money raised from the clothing line goes to his charity, the StepApp foundation.
Black Stars Team Manager
In May 2017, the Ghana Football Association (GFA) named Stephen Appiah as the team manager for the Black Stars. This was his first role as a technical member of the team after retiring from playing.
Personal Life
Stephen Appiah has a son named Rodney Appiah. Rodney also plays football for Accra Great Olympics in the Ghana Premier League.
Career Statistics
Club Appearances and Goals
| Club | Season | League | Cup | Continental | Other | Total | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Division | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | ||
| Udinese | 1997–98 | Serie A | 11 | 0 | 0 | 0 | – | – | 11 | 0 | ||
| 1998–99 | 21 | 0 | 6 | 3 | – | 2 | 0 | 29 | 3 | |||
| 1999–2000 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | – | 5 | 0 | |||
| Total | 36 | 0 | 6 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 45 | 3 | ||
| Parma | 2000–01 | Serie A | 15 | 0 | 5 | 1 | 6 | 1 | – | 26 | 2 | |
| 2001–02 | 13 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 7 | 0 | – | 23 | 0 | |||
| Total | 28 | 0 | 8 | 1 | 13 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 49 | 2 | ||
| Brescia (loan) | 2002–03 | Serie A | 31 | 7 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | – | 32 | 7 | |
| Juventus | 2003–04 | Serie A | 30 | 1 | 8 | 0 | 7 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 46 | 1 |
| 2004–05 | 18 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 3 | 0 | – | 23 | 2 | |||
| Total | 48 | 3 | 10 | 0 | 10 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 69 | 3 | ||
| Fenerbahçe | 2005–06 | Süper Lig | 32 | 8 | 6 | 1 | 6 | 2 | – | 44 | 11 | |
| 2006–07 | 26 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 10 | 3 | – | 37 | 6 | |||
| 2007–08 | 6 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 0 | – | 9 | 0 | |||
| Total | 64 | 11 | 8 | 1 | 18 | 5 | 0 | 0 | 90 | 17 | ||
| Bologna | 2009–10 | Serie A | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | – | 2 | 0 | |
| Cesena | 2010–11 | Serie A | 14 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | – | 15 | 0 | |
| Vojvodina | 2011–12 | SuperLiga | 11 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | – | 13 | 1 | |
| Career total | 234 | 22 | 36 | 5 | 42 | 6 | 3 | 0 | 315 | 33 | ||
International Appearances and Goals
| National team | Year | Apps | Goals |
|---|---|---|---|
| Ghana | 1996 | 1 | 0 |
| 1997 | 0 | 0 | |
| 1998 | 2 | 0 | |
| 1999 | 1 | 0 | |
| 2000 | 5 | 1 | |
| 2001 | 5 | 2 | |
| 2002 | 2 | 0 | |
| 2003 | 5 | 3 | |
| 2004 | 5 | 2 | |
| 2005 | 7 | 2 | |
| 2006 | 16 | 2 | |
| 2007 | 3 | 1 | |
| 2008 | 3 | 1 | |
| 2009 | 7 | 1 | |
| 2010 | 5 | 0 | |
| Total | 67 | 15 |
Awards and Achievements
Stephen Appiah won several trophies and individual awards during his career.
With Hearts of Oak
- Ghana Premier League: 1996–97
- Ghanaian FA Cup: 1996
With Parma
- Coppa Italia: 2001–02
With Juventus
- Serie A: 2004–05
- Supercoppa Italiana: 2003
With Fenerbahçe
- Süper Lig: 2006–07
- Turkish Super Cup: 2007
With Ghana U17
- FIFA U-17 World Championship: 1995
Individual Awards
- SWAG Most Promising Football Star of the Year: 1997
- Summer Olympic Football All-Star Team: 2004
- African Cup of Nations Team of the Tournament: 2006
See also
In Spanish: Stephen Appiah para niños
