Kobby Mainoo (left), Nico Williams (middle) and Memphis Depay (right)
GhanaWeb feature by: Benjamin Sackey
Players of Ghanaian descent shone brightly and entertained fans with their football artistry at the 2024 European Championship, hosted in Germany.
The tournament commenced on Friday, June 14, and ended on Sunday, July 14, 2024, showcasing electrifying performances from various teams featuring players of Ghanaian descent.
La Roja of Spain emerged victorious, thanks to the excellent performances from Nico Williams, Lamine Yamal, and other players, defeating England 2-1 in the finals.
This GhanaWeb feature explores the performance of players with Ghanaian roots who have naturalized for other national teams in Europe.
Netherlands: Memphis Depay, Jeremie Frimpong, Cody Gakpo, and Brian Brobbey
Depay, a former Manchester United forward, debuted internationally in 2013. Frimpong, born to Ghanaian parents, has played for the Netherlands at various youth levels and made his senior debut in 2021.
Gakpo, with Ghanaian roots through his father, debuted in the Netherlands squad at UEFA Euro 2020. Brobbey has represented the Netherlands at U17 and U19 levels, recently earning his first senior call-up in October 2023.
England: Kobbie Mainoo
The promising young Manchester United midfielder represented England at U17 and U18 levels. Despite strong interest from the Ghanaian FA, Mainoo chose to play for the Three Lions.
Mainoo began the tournament at a slow pace but ended up becoming a regular starter for the Three Lions when they reached the knockout phase.
Spain: Nico Williams
The Athletic Bilbao star and brother of Inaki Williams, who plays for Ghana, was one of the bright stars at the tournament. Nico debuted for Spain in 2022 and participated in the 2022 FIFA World Cup, but it was the 2024 Euros that really showcased him to the rest of the world.
Austria: Kevin Danso
The RC Lens defender began his career in Austria’s youth teams and made his senior debut in 2017. Danso was a pillar in defense for the Austrians.
Switzerland: Kwadwo Duah
The forward was recently named in Switzerland's final squad. He was born in London and plays alongside Ghanaian winger Bernard Tekpetey at Ludogorets in Bulgaria. Kwadwo Duah had a tournament to remember with the Swiss.
Here are the EURO 2024 statistics for the players:
Nico Williams
6 matches played
2 goals
1 assist
35.8 top speed (km/h)
0 yellow cards
11 attempts
89.67% passing accuracy
54.53 km distance covered
Kobbie Mainoo
6 matches played
370 minutes played
52.86 avg. per match
0 goals
0 assists
92.5% passing accuracy
30.5 top speed (km/h)
Memphis Depay
6 matches played
461 minutes played
76.84 avg. per match
1 goal
0.17 avg. per match
18 total attempts
3 avg. per match
1 assist
0.17 avg. per match
75% passing accuracy
32 top speed (km/h)
30.52 avg. per match
52.24 km distance covered
8.17 avg. per match
Cody Gakpo
6 matches played
525 minutes played
87.5 avg. per match
3 goals
0.5 avg. per match
12 total attempts
2 avg. per match
1 assist
0.17 avg. per match
78.84% passing accuracy
32.8 top speed (km/h)
31.42 avg. per match
55.68 km distance covered
8.5 avg. per match
Kevin Danso
3 matches played
211 minutes played
52.75 avg. per match
0 goals
4 tackles
1 avg. per match
16 balls recovered
4 avg. per match
87.34% passing accuracy
33.3 top speed (km/h)
31.24 avg. per match
24.46 km distance covered
Jeremie Frimpong
3 matches played
85 minutes played
14.17 avg. per match
0 goals
2 tackles
0.34 avg. per match
2 balls recovered
0.34 avg. per match
96.67% passing accuracy
35.21 top speed (km/h)
34 avg.
Kwadwo Duah
Matches played: 3
Minutes played: 106
Average minutes per match: 21.2
Goals: 1
Average goals per match: 0.2
Total attempts: 4
Average attempts per match: 0.8
Assists: 0
Passing accuracy: 73.34%
Top speed: 31.2 km/h
Average speed per match: 28.87 km/h
Distance covered: 12.36 km
Average distance covered per match: 2.21 km
Yellow cards: 0
SB/OGB
