Misplaced Pages

Stephen Appiah: Difference between revisions

Article snapshot taken from Wikipedia with creative commons attribution-sharealike license. Give it a read and then ask your questions in the chat. We can research this topic together.
Browse history interactively← Previous editNext edit →Content deleted Content addedVisualWikitext
Revision as of 20:52, 23 July 2007 edit88.105.151.151 (talk) →Club career← Previous edit Revision as of 23:50, 23 July 2007 edit undoLegend27 (talk | contribs)25 editsNo edit summaryNext edit →
(4 intermediate revisions by the same user not shown)
Line 7: Line 7:
| countryofbirth = ] | countryofbirth = ]
| height = {{height |m=1.78}} | height = {{height |m=1.78}}
| currentclub = {{flagicon|TUR}} ] | currentclub = {{flagicon|ENG}} ]
| club number = 8
| position = ] | position = ]
| youthyears = | youthyears =
| youthclubs = Hearts of Oak | youthclubs = Hearts of Oak
| years = 1995-1997<br/> 1997-2000<br/> 2000-2003<br/> 2002-2003<br/> 2003-2005<br/>2005- | years = 1995-1997<br/> 1997-2000<br/> 2000-2003<br/> 2002-2003<br/> 2003-2005<br/>2005-2007<br/>2007-
| clubs = ] <br/> ] <br/> ] <br/>→ ] ''(loan)'' <br/>] <br/> ] | clubs = ] <br/> ] <br/> ] <br/>→ ] ''(loan)'' <br/>] <br/> ]<br/>]
| caps(goals) = {{0}}- (-)<br>36 (0) <br> 49 (2)<br>31 (7) <br> 48 (3) <br>58 (15) | caps(goals) = {{0}}- (-)<br>36 (0) <br> 49 (2)<br>31 (7) <br> 48 (3) <br>58 (15) <br> 0 (0)
| nationalyears = 1996- | nationalyears = 1996-
| nationalteam = {{fb|GHA}} | nationalteam = {{fb|GHA}}
Line 21: Line 22:
}} }}


'''Stephen Appiah''' (born ], ]) is a ]ian International ] ] and the ] of the ]. In his native Ghana he is well known as " the black tornado" due to the fact that he is very dominant in the midfield and is also very strong. As of 2007, he plays professionally for the ] club ]. '''Stephen Appiah''' (born ], ]) is a ]ian International ] ] and the ] of the ]. In his native Ghana he is well known as " the black tornado" due to the fact that he is very dominant in the midfield and is also very strong. As of 2007, he plays professionally for the ] club ].


A combative player, Stephen Appiah has a strong 'engine' and good tactical awareness. He is an all-round box-to-box midfielder who is able to defend as well as create and score goals. A combative player, Stephen Appiah has a strong 'engine' and good tactical awareness. He is an all-round box-to-box midfielder who is able to defend as well as create and score goals.
Line 47: Line 48:
On ] ], it was reported that ] is close to complete the ] 7,000,000 signing of Appiah. On ] ], it was reported that ] is close to complete the ] 7,000,000 signing of Appiah.


On ] ], it was confirmed that ] had completed the signing of Appiah for an initial price of ] 7,000,100
⚫ Stephen Appaih is determined to play ] football

⚫ Stephen Appaih claims he is determined to play ] football

He will wear the number 8 shirt vacted by Freddie Ljungberg


==International career== ==International career==

Revision as of 23:50, 23 July 2007

Stephen Appiah
Personal information
Full name Stephen Appiah
Height 1.78 m (5 ft 10 in)
Position(s) Midfielder
Team information
Current team England Arsenal F.C
‡ National team caps and goals, correct as of 08 February 2007

Stephen Appiah (born December 24, 1980) is a Ghanaian International football midfielder and the captain of the Ghana national team. In his native Ghana he is well known as " the black tornado" due to the fact that he is very dominant in the midfield and is also very strong. As of 2007, he plays professionally for the English club Arsenal F.C.

A combative player, Stephen Appiah has a strong 'engine' and good tactical awareness. He is an all-round box-to-box midfielder who is able to defend as well as create and score goals.

With the Ghana national team, he has played at the 1995 FIFA U-17 World Championship, the 1997 and 1999 World Youth Championships, the 2004 Olympic tournament, and the 2006 World Cup, where the team reached second round.

Club career

Born in Accra, Appiah began his career at local club Hearts of Oak in 1995, at 16 years of age. In 1997, the combative midfielder moved abroad to join Italian club Udinese Calcio in the Serie A championship. He spent three seasons with the club, and it was at the Friuli stadium that he morphed from a striker of promise into a midfield player of substance. Appiah assumed the deeper, more constructive role following his debut against US Lecce in February 1998.

In 2000, a transfer to Parma FC was jeopardised by viral hepatitis, but Appiah overcame the illness to move to Parma in the summer of 2000. The Ghanaian was on the fringe of becoming a regular at the Ennio Tardini stadium, and the club thought it would aid his development to spend the 2002-03 season on loan at Brescia Calcio. A first-team regular for Brescia, Appiah scored seven times in 31 games.

This alerted defending Serie A champions Juventus FC to his talents. Juventus paid Parma €2m, in the 2003 summer, to secure Appiah's services on loan, with an option of a permanent €6m transfer in 2004. "It is a terrific opportunity for me", Appiah said. "You cannot ask for more than to play for a team like Juve." In 2003, Stephen Appiah was nominated and finished 8th for African Footballer of the Year.

He went on to enjoy a solid first season for Juventus at the Delle Alpi stadium, playing 30 Serie A games, appearing in the Coppa Italia final, won by S.S. Lazio over two legs, and making his debut in the UEFA Champions League. Although Appiah lost his place in the team to Manuele Blasi early in his second season, he played 18 Serie A games as Juventus won the domestic title for the 28th time.

In July 2005, he was transferred from Juventus to Fenerbahçe, the defending Turkish champions, for €8 million. He won the Turkish Super League Championship with Fenerbahçe in their centenary year. At the end of the 2006/7 season, Appiah expressed a desire to move on from Fenerbaçe SK although the club wished to extend his current contract. Celtic FC and FC Schalke were the front runners although at the current time it appears Schalke cannot match his wage demands which his agent says can be met "elsewhere", speculation that a move to Celtic is dependant upon the departure of Thomas Gravesen is widespread although it has emerged that West Ham United are also interested in obtaining Appiah's signature.

On 4 July 2007 it was speculated that Manchester United are looking into signing the midfielder. By July 5, it appeared that Schalke had pulled out of the race to sign Appiah. Schalke manager Andreas Muller told kicker magazine "There is no chance of a transfer. We were just too far apart in the question of wages. It would have been too big a risk for us to enter into".

On 11 July 2007 Appiah requested permission to speak with West Ham United about a possible transfer. His desire for his children to receive an English education appears to be driving his choice, leaving West Ham as front runners, but also Celtic as another option

On July 22 2007, it was reported that Arsenal F.C. is close to complete the £ 7,000,000 signing of Appiah.

On july 23 2007, it was confirmed that Arsenal F.C. had completed the signing of Appiah for an initial price of £ 7,000,100

Stephen Appaih claims he is determined to play Premier League football

He will wear the number 8 shirt vacted by Freddie Ljungberg

International career

At junior level, Appiah was a member of the victorious Ghana side that won the 1995 FIFA U-17 World Championship in Ecuador, and at the youth level, he was part of the Ghana team that placed 4th during the 1997 FIFA World Youth Championship and the Ghana team that made the quarter finals at the same level 1999 championship, also playing at the time for Galatasaray's youth squad.

He received his 1st senior cap on his 16th birthday when Ghana played Benin on 24 December 1996. The captain of Ghana's National team, he was the most outstanding player in its 2004 Olympics squad and was voted as one of the 10 All-Stars of that Olympic Football Tournament. He also led the team to their first ever FIFA World Cup qualification, in 2006.

Stephen Appiah's maturity, precise passing and excellent vision at the Olympic Football Tournament suggested a golden future on the international stage, as the 23-year-old led from the front in Ghana's first two games. In the opening match against Italy, he left three defenders trailing in his wake in an extraordinary solo run to lay on the opening goal before blasting home his side's second himself. In the 2-1 victory over Paraguay, he put up a blinding display 'in the hole' behind the strikers, instigating all his side's best attacking moves and surging forward to register the decisive goal in the closing phase. However, he had an off day in the 1-0 defeat to Japan which saw the Ghanaians exit the games.

In January 2006, Appiah led the Ghana National Team to the 2006 African Nations Cup in Egypt where Ghana exited in the 1st round after a surprising loss to Zimbabwe after beating Senegal - a game Appiah played in full with injury. Appiah was selected in the 2006 African Nations Cup All-Star Team of the Tournament by the Confederation of African Football in February 2006.

On 22 June 2006, Appiah was named as Man of the Match in Ghana's World Cup match victory against the USA in which he also scored a penalty in the 2nd minute of first half stoppage time. The win saw him captain the Black Stars through to the last 16 phase of the World Cup where they eventually lost to Brazil. Appiah was the star player and driving force of Ghana's 2006 World Cup campaign. He garnered much critical acclaim for his ball distribution, aggressive dribbling and creativity. Despite the pedigree of Ghana's opponents at the cup, Appiah often stole the show from the likes of Francesco Totti, Landon Donovan, Pavel Nedved and Ronaldinho in head-to-head match ups. Plans for a transfer to the English Premier League from Fenerbahçe fell through after Appiah decided to stay on for their 100th anniversary season.

On 14 November 2006, Appiah made his 50th appearance in the Black Stars shirt, captaining the side to a 1-1 friendly draw with Australia at Loftus Road. Appiah was visibly emotional at the outset of this game, and despite an average performance many Ghanaian fans have praised his reign as captain. Read: Appiah's Phenomenal Rise

Honors and awards

Club
International
Individual

External links

Ghana squad – 2006 FIFA World Cup
Ghana
Fenerbahçe S.K. – current squad
  1. "CAN 2006 player awards and best 11". cafonline.com. 2006-02-10. Retrieved 2006-02-10. {{cite news}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
Categories: