Ebenezer Assifuah

Ebenezer Assifuah
Assifuah with Ghana in 2015
Personal information
Full name Ebenezer Kofi Assifuah-Inkoom
Date of birth (1993-07-03) 3 July 1993 (age 31)[1]
Place of birth Accra, Ghana
Height 1.76 m (5 ft 9 in)
Position(s) Striker
Team information
Current team
 Kedah Darul Aman
Number 70
Youth career
–2011 Proud United
Senior career*
Years Team Apps (Gls)
2011–2012 Sekondi Eleven Wise 0 (0)
2012–2013 Liberty Professionals 16 (10)
2013–2017 Sion 88 (15)
2017–2020 Le Havre 53 (12)
2020–2022 Pau 59 (11)
2023– Kedah Darul Aman 3 (1)
International career
2012–2013 Ghana U20 13 (12)
2016–2017 Ghana 1 (0)
Medal record
Representing  Ghana
Men's Football
FIFA U-20 World Cup
Third place 2013 Turkey
*Club domestic league appearances and goals, correct as of 11 September 2022

Ebenezer Kofi Assifuah-Inkoom (born 3 July 1993) is a Ghanaian professional footballer who plays as a forward for Malaysia Super League club Kedah Darul Aman.

Before moving to Swiss club Sion, he played for Liberty Professionals in his home country of Ghana. Assifuah has been described as a striker with power and scoring ability.[2] Although he naturally is right-footed, he has successfully used his left foot.[3]

Assifuah is a former Ghana international. At youth level, he played for the Ghana U20s. In 2016, he won this first cap for the Ghana national team, and was selected for the 2017 Africa Cup of Nations.

Club career

Early career

Assifuah began his career with the Division One team Sekondi Eleven Wise where he attracted attention after scoring eight times in the Ghanaian Division One League.[4]

At the end of the 2011–12 Poly Tank Division One League season, and after his success in the games of the 2013 African U-20 Championship qualification, Assifuah was highly sought after by top teams in Ghana including Ebusua Dwarfs.

Liberty Professionals

Assifuah signed a three-year contract with premiership side Liberty Professionals.[4] He took some time to settle at Liberty Professionals after his move from Sekondi Eleven Wise. On the 2012 Boxing Day, he rediscovered his form and scored four goals against Berekum Chelsea.[5] Prior to the end of the African Youth Championship, Assifuah had attracted the attention scouts of Italian Serie A side Udinese, and a move was deemed likely.[6]

Sion

After being top goal scorer at the 2013 FIFA U-20 World Cup in Turkey, Assifuah moved to the Swiss side Sion signing a five-year contract.[7] Assifuah scored his first goal in the Swiss Super League in his second game against leaders FC Basel on 28 September 2013.[8] In the 2014–15 Swiss Cup final, he played 75 minutes of the match as Sion beat FC Basel 3–0 to win the Swiss Cup.[9]

On 1 October 2015, Assisfuah was in the headlines at Anfield after scoring the equaliser for his team in the 2015–16 UEFA Europa League match against Liverpool, that was his debut goal in any European club competition.[10]

In 2017, he left the club after playing for the club for four years.[11]

Le Havre

Assifuah joined Le Havre on 18 January 2017 and signed a three-and-half-year deal. In June 2020, he left club after playing a total of 68 matches in all competitions for the club amid several injuries whilst playing for the Ligue 2 side.[citation needed]

Pau

On 5 June 2020, he signed a two-year contract with newly promoted Ligue 2 side Pau .[12][13] He signed for the club upon the request of new coach Didier Tholot, whom he played under at Sion in Switzerland between 2014 and 2016.[13]

On 9 March 2022, Assifuah suffered a serious anterior cruciate ligament injury, which ruled him out for the rest of the 2021–22 season.[14] In July 2022, Assifuah's contract with Pau terminated and both parties decided to path ways.[15]

Kedah Darul Aman

On 6 January 2023, Assifuah joined Malaysian club Kedah Darul Aman, signing a two-year contract.[16] After nearly a year at the club, he make his debut on 24 May 2024 in a league match against Perak. Assifuah scored his first goal which resulted in a hat-trick during the 2024 Malaysia FA Cup match against Bukit Tambun in a 5–0 win on 14 June 2024.

International career

Youth

Assifuah was part of the Ghana Under-20 national team during the qualification rounds for the 2013 African U-20 Championship. He scored Ghana's second goal against Uganda U20 in October 2012.[4] In 2013, coach Sellas Tetteh called him up, along with Liberty Professional teammates Kennedy Ashia and Kwame Boahene, for the Ghana Under-20 national team ahead of the 2013 tournament in Algeria.[17] During the competition he scored in every group match game which helped push the team into the finals with Egypt and Ghana finished as runners up of the competition.[18] With Egyptian player Kahraba he was 2nd joint top scorer of the tournament.[19]

Assifuah was a member of the Ghana U20 that took part in the 2013 FIFA U-20 World Cup in Turkey.[20][21][22][23] He finished the tournament as the leading goal scorer with 6 goals.[citation needed]

Senior

On 27 March 2016, Assifuah made his first debut for the senior Ghana national team as a starter in the 2017 Africa Cup of Nations qualifiers tie with Mozambique that ended in a goalless draw.[24] Later he was selected for 2017 Africa Cup of Nations held in Gabon, but remained on the bench throughout the tournament while his team finished in fourth place.[citation needed]

Personal life

Assifuah sister, Gifty Assifuah is also a professional footballer.

Honours

Club

Sion

International

Ghana U20

Individual

References

  1. ^ "FIFA U-20 World Cup Turkey 2013 List of Players: Ghana" (PDF). FIFA.com. Fédération Internationale de Football Association. 23 June 2013. p. 10. Archived from the original (PDF) on 27 June 2013.
  2. ^ Didonato, Damian. "Six U-20 players who might shine in Brazil 2014". Espnfc.com. Retrieved 17 July 2013.
  3. ^ GIOVANI TALENTI: Ebenezer Assifuah Diamouncalcioalpallone.blogspot.it
  4. ^ a b c "Black Satellites striker Ebenezer Assifuah to move to Liberty Professionals right away". www.goal.com. Retrieved 27 March 2013.
  5. ^ "Liberty rout Chelsea 5-1". sports.ghanafilla.net. Archived from the original on 19 April 2013. Retrieved 27 March 2013.
  6. ^ "The star striker of the Ghana national Under-20 team is likely to make a move to the Italy-based club this summer". www.goal.com. Retrieved 27 March 2013.
  7. ^ "Assifuah Signs 5-Year Deal With FC Sion night". www.ghana.gov.gh. Retrieved 26 August 2013.
  8. ^ Gyimah, Edmund Okai (29 September 2013). "Ebenezer Assifuah's goal rescues Sion from defeat to Basel". Goal. Retrieved 7 March 2019.
  9. ^ "Assifuah and Yartey inspire FC Sion to victory in Swiss Cup – MyJoyOnline.com". www.myjoyonline.com. 18 August 2013. Retrieved 12 November 2020.
  10. ^ ghanasoccernet.com (2 October 2015). "Ebenezer Assifuah Surprises Liverpool with a Collected Finish at Anfield". News Ghana. Retrieved 12 November 2020.
  11. ^ "Black Stars forward Ebenezer Assifuah joins French side Le Havre". Footballghana. Retrieved 12 November 2020.
  12. ^ Clément Maillard (4 June 2020). "Officiel - Ebenezer Assifuah rejoint Pau en provenance du Havre". maligue2 (in French). Retrieved 5 June 2020.
  13. ^ a b Gyimah, Edmund Okai. "Exclusive: Ebenezer Assifuah joins Pau FC". Graphic Online. Retrieved 12 November 2020.
  14. ^ "Football/Pau FC : Ebenezer Assifuah souffre d'une rupture des ligaments croisés" (in French). La République des Pyrenées. 9 March 2022.
  15. ^ "Football/Ligue 2 : les arrivées et départs du mercato du Pau FC 2022-2023" (in French). La République des Pyrenées. 29 July 2022.
  16. ^ "Former Ghana youth star Ebenezer Assifuah joins Malaysian outfit Kedah Darul Aman FC on two-year deal". Footballghana. 6 January 2023. Retrieved 10 October 2023.
  17. ^ "Ghana names final squad for U-20 finals". GhanaFA.org. Archived from the original on 1 November 2013. Retrieved 27 March 2013.
  18. ^ "Ghana through to AYC semis and World Cup". www.ghananewsmedia.com. Archived from the original on 2 February 2014. Retrieved 27 March 2013.
  19. ^ "Egypt midfielder Gomaa beats Ghana striker Ebenezer Assifuah to CAF U20 Best Player Award". Ghanasoccernet. 31 March 2013. Retrieved 12 April 2013.
  20. ^ "Revealed: Ghana's final 21-man squad for U-20 World Cup". allsports.com.gh. Archived from the original on 26 August 2013. Retrieved 8 July 2013.
  21. ^ "Ghana FA confirms U20 squad numbers for FIFA World Cup in Turkey". ghanasoccernet.com. 14 June 2013. Retrieved 8 July 2013.
  22. ^ "Ghana U20 coach releases preliminary World Cup squad". mtnfootball.com. Archived from the original on 1 February 2014. Retrieved 8 July 2013.
  23. ^ "Ghana Under 20". soccerway.com. Retrieved 8 July 2013.
  24. ^ "Ghanaian forward marks Black Stars debut against Mozambique". 27 March 2016.
  25. ^ FIFA.com. "FIFA U-20 World Cup 2013 - News - Three A's see Ghana finish third". www.fifa.com. Archived from the original on 12 August 2020. Retrieved 12 November 2020.
  26. ^ FIFA.com. "FIFA U-20 World Cup 2013 - News - Assifuah: It's simply unbelievable". www.fifa.com. Archived from the original on 10 August 2020. Retrieved 12 November 2020.