FIFA World Cup 2022 – Five amazing players to watch from Ghana

The Black Stars will be making their comeback in the quadrennial mega event after a hiatus of eight years.

Ghana defeated Nigeria to advance to the FIFA World Cup. A number of well-known figures have since switched sides to support the Black Stars. Five of Otto Addo's most significant figures are investigated. Milovan Rajevac was fired as Ghana's coach earlier this year after his team fell in the group stage of the CAF Africa Cup of Nations, and Otto Addo was named as his interim replacement.

The former midfielder made 15 national team appearances during his playing career. He wasted little time in leading the Black Stars to FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022 qualification. He will also captain the team at the tournament.

Here is a list of five players that could be vital to Ghana's campaign as they prepare to sail to Qatar with a very exciting lineup.

5. Inaki Williams

Williams gives the Black Stars an extra attacking threat. So it will be interesting to see how he makes his debut with his new team. The vivacious and lightning-quick striker is ideal for one-on-one battles with opposing defenders and counter-attacking play.

However, Williams, a Blackstar forward, has yet to win a Ghanaian international cap. The 28-year-old Basque Country native has spent virtually his entire professional career with Athletic Bilbao in Spain, where he has played nearly 350 competitive games and won the Spanish Super Cup.

4. Andre Ayew

Ayew is a powerful Blackstar left winger or forward. Ghana's captain is on the verge of overtaking Asamoah Gyan (109 appearances) as the country's most-capped player. And his 23 goals have already placed him among the top five scorers. Ayew's achievements with Ghana as African champion and FIFA U-20 World Cup winner in 2009 speak for themselves and underline his importance to the team.

The top scorer at the 2014/15 Africa Cup of Nations should bring years of international experience to the Black Stars' attack and contribute a few goals along the way, alongside his younger brother Jordan (81 caps, 19 goals), who is also an important member of the team. He should be used to living in Qatar by the time the World Cup begins. This is because he has been representing the Qatari team Al Sadd since the end of the previous season and has already won the championship.

He should also be able to help the team's younger members, as he has a wealth of information and skills to share from his early success on football's largest international stage. In 2010, he was second to Thomas Muller for the Best Young Player title in South Africa. And four years later, he scored twice in Brazil.

3. Thomas Partey

Before a 2017 Africa Cup of Nations qualifying match against Mauritius, manager Avram Grant made Partey's first call-up to the Ghana national team in May 2016. On June 5, he made his debut, taking Frank Acheampong's place for the final 11 minutes of a 2-0 victory away from home that guaranteed the Black Stars' spot in the championship. In a 5-1 victory against Congo in 2018 FIFA World Cup qualifying on September 5, 2017, Partey recorded his first hat-trick in international competition.

In Kwesi Appiah's 23-man roster for the 2019 Africa Cup of Nations in Egypt, Partey was selected. He scored in the Black Stars' 2-0 victory over Guinea-Bissau in their last group match to help them finish first. On July 8, he scored in the last penalty shootout of the match against Tunisia, but his side was eliminated.

In 2018 and 2019, Partey was named Ghana Player of the Year. Partey was chosen as Ghana's vice-captain ahead of the 2021 Africa Cup of Nations qualifications and the 2022 FIFA World Cup qualifiers.

2. Mohammed Kudus

In Denmark, like Amartey, Mohammed Kudus began his professional life. He played for FC Nordsjaelland for 57 matches before joining Ajax in the Eredivisie before the 2021/21 season. He and his team have since won the KNVB Cup in 2021 as well as the Dutch championship in each of the last two seasons. Kudus has also represented Ajax in the UEFA Europa League and UEFA Champions League. To win player of the match and make the Champions League team of the week, he most recently scored and provided an assist against Rangers.

1. Tariq Lamptey

Lamptey was born to Ghanaian parents in England. As a young international, he played for the Young Lions of England from under 18 to under 21. The Ghana Football Association contacted him in July 2020 about the possibility of his switching allegiances to play for Ghana. However, Lamptey made his England under-21 debut on September 8 when he started in a 2-1 victory against Austria on the road in a 2021 UEFA European Under-21 Championship qualifying match. He returned to the under-21 squad in March 2022 after missing 18 months due to injury, playing in the 2023 European Under-21 Championship qualification games against Andorra and Albania.

The manager of England's under-21 team, Lee Carsley, stated that Lamptey had "requested to be kept out of the squad for a bit of head space" when it was revealed in May 2022 that Lamptey was thinking about switching allegiances to Ghana.

Lamptey was one of the few players who were formally made eligible to represent Ghana in July, when Kurt Okraku, the president of the Ghana FA, made the announcement following months of additional rumour. He made his debut on September 23 in a 3-0 friendly loss to Brazil at the Stade Océane in Le Havre, replacing Denis Odoi in the 72nd minute. Lamptey is on Ghana's 26-man roster for the 2022 FIFA World Cup on November 14.