Essien, Sammy Adjei, Otto Addo: Members of Ghana's 2006 World Cup squad who are now professional coaches

Eighteen years after Ghana made a historic appearance at the World Cup, all the members of that squad have hung up their boots and ventured into other spheres of life.

It will be recalled that Ghana made their maiden appearance at the 2006 World Cup in Germany, making history as the only African country to qualify from the group phase in that tournament.

To achieve that impressive record, the Black Stars had to come back from a defeat against eventual winners, Italy, and beat the Czech Republic and the United States of America.

GhanaWeb today looks at members of that team who have ventured into professional coaching by securing their coaching badges.

Richard Kingson

Richard "Olele" Kingson was the first-choice goalkeeper of the team then. He went on to have a great career and is now a goalkeepers’ coach.

Richard Kingson served as a goalkeepers’ coach of the Black Stars but was fired in January 2024 following the disbandment of the Black Stars technical team led by Chris Hughton.

Sammy Adjei

The legendary Hearts of Oak goalkeeper is also a professional coach after securing his badges from the Ghanaman Soccer Centre of Excellence.

In August 2023, Sammy Adjei joined Ghana Premier League side Dreams FC as a goalkeepers’ coach.

George Owu

George Owu, who was the third-choice goalkeeper in the tournament, is also a professional coach now.

The legendary Ashgold goalkeeper once served as the goalkeepers’ coach for Kotoku Royals during their brief stint in the Ghana Premier League.

John Paintsil

John Paintsil was a right back, known for his marauding runs and likable character. He is currently an assistant coach to Otto Addo, who is the head coach of the Black Stars.

Eric Addo

The unassuming defender has earned his coaching badges in the Netherlands and is now an accredited coach.

In 2020, Eric Addo was appointed as the assistant U-21 coach of Dutch side FC Eindhoven.

Hans Adu-Sarpei

The former Ghanaian full-back made an early decision to go into coaching. His first major appointment came in 2013 when he was appointed as Tus Bruchhausen. Two years later, he secured his UEFA PRO license certificate to become a fully accredited coach.

Razak Pimpong

After hanging up his boots, Razak Pimpong is now a professional coach who is bent on helping discover and nurture young talents in Denmark.

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Michael Essien

Michael Essien is one of the top coaches at FC Nordsjaelland in Denmark’s top league. On Friday, Essien announced that he has secured a certificate in football management from UEFA.

Asamoah Gyan

The legendary Ghanaian striker holds a UEFA license B coaching certificate but has yet to join any club.

He, however, visits soccer clinics to share his experience and knowledge with people.

Otto Addo

Otto Addo is the current coach of the Black Stars. Prior to his new role, Otto Addo was a member of the coaching team of Borussia Dortmund.

Alex Tachie-Mensah

Tachie-Mensah's exploits in the coaching world became public three years after the 2006 World Cup when he became an assistant coach for FC Frauenfeld youth team in August 2009.

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EK