Meet Chris Hughton, the first Ghanaian coach in the EPL

Ghanaian born named Chris Hughton will manage newly promoted English Premier League side Brighton & Hove Albion F.C. as they stage their comeback to the top flight after three decades.

Under the leadership of Chris Hughton, Brighton & Hove Albion sealed promotion to the Premier League for this season after increasing their lead at the top of the Championship to seven points with a 2-1 win over Wigan Athletic at a jubilant Amex Stadium.

Albion missed out on automatic promotion on goal difference in the final game of last season, but after sealing the promotion to the 2017/18 Premier League season Chris Hughton was quoted saying that it wasn’t really necessary.

A dramatic end to the 1996-97 campaign saw Albion recover from being 13 points adrift of safety at one stage to beat the drop on the final day, with Robbie Reinelt netting a historic effort against Hereford.

Having clambered their way back up the ladder, Chris Hughton’s side can now start preparing themselves for a standing among English football’s elite once more.

Background

Christopher William Gerard Hughton was born on 11 December 1958 in Forest Gate, then part of Essex, now part of London, to a Ghanaian postman, Willie Hughton, and his Irish wife Christine née Bourke.

Having an African background Chris qualified to play for the Republic of Ireland as the son of an Irish mother and a Ghanaian father, becoming the first mixed-race player to represent the country. He played 53 matches for the Irish National team.

Chris Hughton in 1981, Ajax vs Spurs

He began his football career with Tottenham Hotspur as a left back and made his debut against Manchester United.

As a member of the Tottenham’s 1980’s class, he won both the 1981 FA Cup and the 1982 FA Cup, the 1984 UEFA Cup and was runner-up in the 1982 League Cup and the 1987 FA Cup.

Chris Hughton went viral on Social media after it was reported that he looks like former US President Barack Obama

Chris Hughton later made a switch to West Ham United where he helped them qualify to Division Two then moved to Brentford before hanging his boots.

On 31 December 2014, Hughton was announced as the new man in charge of Championship side Brighton & Hove Albion on a three-and-a-half-year contract. Following an impressive season, he extended his contract to 2020, before architecting Brighton’s automatic promotion to the 2017–18 Premier League after a 2–1 win at home to Wigan.

Prior to the Brighton & Hove Albion job, Chris had worked with Newcastle United, Tottenham Hotspurs, Birmingham City, Norwich City.