Coach
Milovan Rajevac
02.01.54
Ghana coach since August 2008
Former defender who represented Yugoslavia at the Olympics and reached the Final of the UEFA Cup with Red Star Belgrade in 1979. Strict, with a reputation as a fine tactician, he is the third Serbian coach to lead the Black Stars in six years.

Goalkeepers
Daniel Agyei
10.11.89
Liberty Professionals
2 caps (0 goals)
Promoted from the side that won the Under-20 World Cup in Egypt last year, proving decisive in the penalty shoot-out win over Brazil in the Final. Went to the African Nations Cup in Angola as back-up and is being groomed to be first choice after the World Cup.

Richard Kingson
13.06.78
Wigan Athletic (Eng)
77 caps (1 goal)
Let in eight goals on his debut against Brazil in 1996 and spent a decade in and out of the team before being chosen as a surprise first choice for the last World Cup in Germany. Has won the vast majority of his caps since 2006 despite little club action, in which he has been a reserve at Birmingham City and Wigan.

Stephen Ahorlu
05.09.88
Heart of Lions
1 caps (0 goals)
Ahorlu made his Black Stars debut on 1 October 2009 in a friendly against Argentina.

Defenders
Lee Addy
26.09.85
Bechem Chelsea
8 caps (0 goals)
Burst onto the scene in the left-back role as Ghana reached the Final of the African Nations Cup, having won a first cap just three months earlier. Voted the best defender in the Ghana premier league and linked with a move to Europe after the World Cup.

Rahim Ayew
16.04.88
Zamalek (Egy)
7 caps (0 goals)
Son of Abedi Pele and half-brother of Dede Ayew, he moved to Zamalek at the start of the season on a five-year deal. Back-up defender at the recent Nations Cup in Angola and graduate of Ghana’s various junior national team. Had unsuccessful trials at Hoffenheim in Germany

Samuel Inkoom
22.08.89 Basle (Swi)
15 caps (0 goals)
Emerged as the best right-back at the Nations Cup in Angola just months after winning the Under-20 World Cup in Egypt. Made his senior team debut in 2008 and featured regularly in the latter part of the qualifying campaign in South Africa.

John Mensah
29.11.82
Sunderland (Eng)
63 caps (0 goals)
Ghana’s occasional captain and the rock of their defence, whose career threatening back problems over the last two years have led to a lot of niggling injuries. When fit, he is regarded among the best defenders in England, as he was in France before that when he played at Rennes and then Lyon.

Jonathan Mensah
13.07.90
Free State Stars
2 caps (0 goals)
A member of the Under-20 World Cup-winning side.

John Paintsil
15.06.81 Fulham (Eng)
58 caps (0 goals)
Played in all four matches for Ghana at the 2006 World Cup, where he got into hot water for pulling an Israeli flag out of his shorts during a goal celebration. Spent four seasons with Maccabi Tel Aviv and Hapoel Tel Aviv before Yossi Benayoun recommended him to West Ham, when they were looking for a left sided defender four years ago.

Hans Sarpei
28.06.76
Bayer Leverkusen (Ger)
28 caps (0 goals)
A squad member at the last World Cup but did not play but has competed in 10 of Ghana’s 11 matches over the last two African Nations Cup finals. Born in Tema in the north of Ghana but raised in Germany where he previously played at Wolfsburg and Duisburg

Isaac Vorsah
21.06.88
Hoffenheim (Ger)
12 caps (0 goals)
Stepped into an injury void at the 2010 Nations Cup tournament and was a colossous in defence for the Black Stars. Part of Hoffenheim’s fairy tale rise to the top of the Bundesliga in December 2009. Previously played at Asante Kotoko and Gamba All Blacks.

Midfielders
Edward Agyemang-Badu
2.12.90
Udinese (Ita)
12 caps (0 goals)
Another graduate of the world champion under-20 side, who made his Serie A debut long after his international debut. Took advantage of the absence of Michael Essien to play a strong midfield role at the Nations Cup finals in Angola. Had unsuccessful trials in England with both Middlesbrough and Wolves.

Anthony Annan
21.07.86
Rosenborg (Nor)
30 caps (1 goal)
Hard working defensive midfielder who made his debut against Brazil in 2007 and has played at the two Nations Cup final tournaments. Helped unfashionable Stabaek to the Norway league title in 2008 before a move to Rosenborg, despite being often linked with much more fashionable teams.

Stephen Appiah
24.12.80
Bologna (Ita)
63 caps (16 goals)
Probably a little older than claimed but a classy general in the midfield, blighted by injury over the last two years. Has not played any club football since Fenerbahce cancelled his contract in mid-2008 but his career got a lifeline in Janauary when Bolgna signed him on a short-term contract.

Kwadwo Asamoah
09.09.88
Udinese (Ita)
13 caps (1 goal)
The latest off the conveyor belt of exciting midfield play makers, who was the engine room for the depleted squad who surprised with a run to the final of the 2010 African Nations Cup finals. First called up to the Ghana squad for the 2008 finals, where he debuted in the third and fourth place play-off match.

Dede Ayew
17.12.89
Arles-Avignon (Fra)
19 caps (1 goal)
The second son of three-time African Footballer of the Year Abedi Pele who is in the squad. A teenage prodigy at Olympique Marseille but has not made the grade in Ligue 1 and has been on loan in the lower divisions as his contract runs out Ligue 1. Did not play a single game in the World Cup qualifiers but bounced back to the squad for the Nations Cup in Angola.

Derek Boateng
02.05.83
Getafe (Spa)
20 caps (3 goals)
Irregular performer for Ghana who seems to pop back up on the radar before major tournaments but has managed only 20 caps in nine years. Played at the last World Cup finals and would have played in Angola at the Nations Cup in January had his club not invoked a rule that his call-up, as a late injury replacement, did not come with the required 14-day notice.

Haminu Dramani
1.4.86
Lokomotiv Moscow (Rus)
42 caps (4 goals)
Speedy winger who scored against the USA at the last World Cup finals in Germany but has never been able to command a regular berth in the Ghana team despite being a regular feature in the squad. His club career has stalled since a move to Russia from Red Star Belgrade.

Sulley Muntari
27.08.84
Internazionale (Ita)
51 caps (16 goals)
Has patched up his differences with the football association and coach after being left out of the squad for the Nations Cup in Angola following his refusal to play a friendly in Angola in November. A graduate of the formidable under-20 side that were runners-up at the World Youth Championship in Argentina in 2001, aside that provides the backbone of the current Ghana senior squad.

Quincy James Owusu-Abeyie
15.04.86
Al Sadd
12 caps (1 goal)
Much travelled, pacy winger. Played for Holland’s under 21 side in the summer of 2005 at the FIFA U20 Championship. He is the cousin of English rapper Sway DaSafo.

Kevin-Prince Boateng
06. 03.87
Portsmouth (Eng)
0 caps
Ghana were making a late bid to FIFA to get this former Geman Under-21 midfielder eligible for their World Cup squad.

Forwards
Dominic Adiyah
29.11.89
Milan (Ita)
4 caps (0 goals)
Without any senior football experience but recently named Africa’s young player of the year after starring at the Under-20 World Cup last year.

Matthew Amoah
24.10.80
NAC Breda (Hol)
40 caps (13 goals)
Diminutive striker who played in all four matches at the last World Cup finals but is mostly used to provide cover to the strikers. One of his seven brothers, he moved to Holland at the age of 18 and spent seven seasons at Vitesse Arnhem before a brief and abortive bid at Borussia Dortmund in Germany.

Asamoah Gyan
22.11.85
Rennes (Fra)
37 caps (17 goals)
Back on form in Ligue 1 after battling with persistent injury for several seasons. Has great pace and a good finish. Scored on his debut for Ghana in 2003 and kept up a fine run of goals, including the first-ever Ghana goal at the World Cup finals in Germany four yeas ago.

Prince Tagoe
09.11.86
Hoffenheim (Ger)
16 caps (4 goals)
His Bundesliga contract was cancelled when he was found to have a heart condition but Tagoe fought his dismissal and was reinstated after medical examination by the German league’s doctors. He played for Ghana at the 2006 African Nations Cup but did not make the squad for the subsequent two finals. Played first at Hearts of Oak before spending three years in the Saudi league.

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