Top five strangest transfer moves by Ghanaian footballers

Over the years, they have been many transfer moves by Ghanaian footballers that left Ghanaians and football fans shocked.

Some players left high-profile clubs at their peak to join low-ranked clubs while others secured big moves while at the lowest point of their careers

There are many of them, but GhanaWeb takes a look at the top five weirdest transfers by Ghanaian footballers.

Essien to Madrid

Michael Essien joining Real Madrid at the tail-end of his career is one of the transfers many never anticipated.

Essien joined Madrid on loan for the 2013-2014 season to reunite with his 'godfather' Jose Mourinho.

Prior to the move, Essien had lost his place at Chelsea due to consistent injuries and poor form. However, he managed to secure the season-long deal.

Kevin-Prince Boateng to Barcelona


Kevin-Prince Boateng's six-month loan move to Barcelona raised eyebrows and goes into the history books as one of the strangest transfer moves.

Boateng was out of form and in the twilight of his career. He had scored three goals in 13 games for Sassuolo in the Serie A.

Asamoah Gyan to Al Ain

Asamoah Gyan after joining Sunderland for a club-record fee and scoring 10 goals in his first season left for the UAE.

Gyan was in line to become the main man the following season, but he surprisingly joined United Arab Emirates Side Al Ain in a bumper deal.

Andre Ayew to Nottingham Forest

Black Stars skipper Andre Ayew completed a move to Nottingham in the 2023 winter transfer window from Al Sadd.

Ayew, 33, joining a Premier League side battling for survival in the league from Qatar is one of the weirdest transfers that happened this season.

Frank Acheampong to China

Frank Acheampong joined Tianjin Jinmen Tiger in 2017 after four seasons with Belgium giant Anderlecht.

The winger was in red-hot form and was at the peak of his career only to secure a move to China at age 24.

The move stunned many Ghanaians.

Derek Boateng to Dnipro

Former Black Stars midfielder, Dere Boateng's move from La Liga side Getafe to Dnipro in 2011 shocked many Ghanaians.

He had established himself in the Spanish top flight as one of the best defensive midfielders and impressed Jose Mourinho who was then Real Madrid's manager.

After two seasons at Getafe, Boateng, secured a move to Dnipro to play in the Ukrainian league.



EE/KPE