Former Kotoko Emmanuel Osei Kuffour
Former Hearts of Oak and Asante Kotoko midfielder Emmanuel Osei Kuffour has labelled himself as the Ghana Premier League’s Greatest Of All Time.
The 44-year-old, who represented Ebusua Dwarfs, Hearts of Oak, AshantiGold, Asante Kotoko and Power FC, won the CAF Champions League with Hearts of Oak in 2000 and went ahead to play an instrumental role in the club’s triumph in the 2004 CAF Confederation Cup.
Kuffour, affectionately called GENERAL by Ghana fans, started his career as a defender before dynamically shifting to midfield when he arrived at Hearts of Oak.
Before he left the Phobians the legendary Cecil Jones Attuquayefio credibly turned the defender to a goal-poacher as he played along the likes of Ablade Morgan, Louis Agyemang and Prince Tagoe.
Kuffour joined Hearts’ biggest rivals Asante Kotoko via a move to AshantiGold and went ahead to win league titles with the Porcupine Warriors.
However the highlights of his career came at Hearts of Oak where he won both the CAF Champions League and the Confederation Cup.
“It is obvious everyone knows this and i am proud of that achievement,” he told Kumasi-based Ashh FM.
Touching on his career in Kotoko, Osei Kuffour who is currently based in the United States of America (USA) said it was a great moment in his career because he loved the club. “I enjoyed playing for Kotoko. Their song was inspirational and it motivated me to deliver,” he added.
Kuffour is remembered for expertly manning the goalpost for Ghana during a FIFA World Cup qualifying game when the Ghanaian goalkeeper was sent off. During the game Osei Boateng, the goalkeeper for Ghana, was sent off after they had exhausted all their substitutions and outfield player Emmanuel Osei Kuffour had to deputise in post for the rest of the game. He didn’t concede a goal in the match.
He was also famously featured in the Hearts of Oak squad that was used to represent the Ghana side that held a star-studded Nigeria side to a goalless draw in the reverse fixture at the Accra Sports Stadium.
