Five Ghanaian football stars who lost huge monies, properties from court rulings

Due to various reasons, some Ghanaian football stars have become entangled in lawsuits that have led to significant financial losses.

But these former footballers, once wealthy and adored at the peak of their careers, lost their investments to business partners, ex-wives, and ex-teammates, among others.

The reasons for these losses vary, with some stemming from failed business ventures, while others are related to marriage and relationships.

Here are five Ghanaian football stars who have lost monies or properties due to court rulings:

Sulley Ali Muntari

In 2019, a Milan court ordered Ghanaian football great, Sulley Muntari, to pay an amount exceeding $100,000 to Italian businessman Rodrigo Renato Gianno.

A Ghanasoccernet report from 2022 indicates that despite agreeing to pay the debt, Sulley Muntari defaulted, prompting the businessman to travel to Ghana and take him to the Accra High Court.

The businessman's decision was to compel Muntari to comply with the Milan court's order and settle his debt.

The reports add that the debt was incurred during Muntari's time at Milan, where he engaged the businessman to book plane tickets and hotels for him.

Asamoah Gyan

Asamoah Gyan is included on this list due to two cases that resulted in significant losses of property and finances.

The first and major one is the protracted marriage annulment scandal with his now ex-wife, Gifty Gyan.

The former Ghana striker was ordered by the High Court to transfer ownership of a house in the United Kingdom and a four-bedroom house in Spintex, Accra, to his ex-wife.

Gyan was also mandated to relinquish ownership of a gas filling station and two cars to Gifty Gyan.

Additionally, Gyan has been paying GH₵25,000 in alimony to his ex-wife.

Arthur Moses

In 2014, former Ghana international, Arthur Moses, experienced turmoil in his marriage, which resulted in him losing most of his properties to his ex-wife, Patience Arthur, in a messy divorce scandal.

After months of court proceedings, the Supreme Court of Ghana ruled in favor of his ex-wife, awarding her GHS 1 million (approximately USD 160,000) in alimony and some of Moses' properties, including his houses, cars, and businesses.

Michael Essien

The former Chelsea midfielder is the latest Ghanaian football star to suffer a significant loss in court and is due to lose some properties.

A Daily Guide report on June 15 indicated that two houses belonging to the legendary midfielder are to be auctioned to offset debts he owes to various individuals and institutions.

The auctioneer estimates that one of the properties is valued between $20 million and $30 million.

John Mensah

John Mensah and his ex-wife Henrietta divorced in 2014, and the Accra High Court, presided over by Justice Doris Bempong, ordered the ex-Ghana captain to make certain financial commitments and transfer specific properties to her.

However, in 2022, Henrietta disclosed that John Mensah allegedly sold off the properties and, after initially making alimony payments, has since stopped.

EK/AE