Posted by Ghana in recent years has benefited from convincing some Ghanaian players born abroad to feature for the Ghana national team, talking of the likes of Kevin-Prince Boateng, Inaki Williams, Tariq Lamptey, Alexander Djiku, Dennis Odoi and so on.
In the same vein, Ghana has also lost some few players, especially to Qatar who have so far naturalized six Ghanaian-borns.
Here; MahamaShaibu.com brings you a brief profile on all six players;
1. Mohammed Muntari
Born and bred in Kumasi-Ghana, Muntari started his football career in Ghana with Golden Lions Soccer Academy, a team owned by former Ghana international Nii Odartey Lamptey.
The lanky striker moved to Qatar in the early stages of his footballing development and signed his first football contract with El Jaish in 2013.
In 2014, Muntari switched allegiance to represent the Qatar national team and made his debut in December 2014 in a friendly against Estonia, scoring his first goal.
The 28-year old has since scored 12 more goals for his country in 48 caps. Muntari is part of the team representing Qatar in the ongoing World Cup, making an appearance in the 2-0 defeat to Ecuador in the opening game.
The TI Ahmadiyya Senior High School graduate currently plays for Al Duhail in the Qatar Stars League. He has in the past played for Lekhwiya and Al Ahli Doha on loan on two different spells.
Mohammed Muntari has won numerous trophies in Qatar, including the Qatar Stars League on 2 occasions (2016/17, 2019/20) with Al-Duhail.
2. Mohammed Kasola
Born on August 13, 1985 in Accra. Mohammed Kasola started his football career in Qatar with lower-tier outfit Mesaimeer SC. The center-back moved to Al-Khor in 2009, where he earned recognition and was naturalized to play for the Qatar national team.
Kasola made his first appearance for the Qatar national team in a friendly match against Slovenia in March 3, 2010. He scored his first goal for the team in a similar exercise against Russia a year later.
Kasola during his time with the Qatar national team gained nationwide eminence for scoring a late equalizer in the 86th minute against Iran in the third round of the 2014 World Cup qualifiers.
In total, Kasola who can play in a variety of defensive positions including in defensive midfield made 64 appearances for the Qatar national team between 2010-2017, scoring 7 goals.
At club level, Kasola also played for Al Sadd, Al-Rayyan, Umm Salal and most recently Mesaimeer.
3. Lawrence Awuley Quaye
Son of former Ghana international and a member of the 1978 African Cup of Nations winning team, Emanuel Awuley Quaye, known as Awulley Senior Quaye,
Lawrence Awuley was born in Accra on 22 August 1984. Quaye began his career in Ghana with Ken Harrison Babies Colts Club, before moving to Liberty Professionals Youth side. During that time, Quaye represented the Black Starlets (Ghana U-17), featuring for the team in the 2001 Meridian Cup.
In January 2003, he was signed by French Ligue 2 side Saint-Étienne, where he won the French Ligue 2 title.
Quaye left for Qatari side Al-Gharafa in 2004. He featured for the team for more than a decade and scored so many goals as a midfielder.
Quaye’s performances for Al-Gharafa earned him massive recognition and was naturalized to play for the Qatar national team, after which he was named Anas Mubarak but had Lawrence at the back of his jersey.
He made 31 appearances for the Qatar national team. During Quaye’s time in Qatar, he also played for Al-Markhiya, Umm Salal and most recently Al Kharaitiyat SC.
Anas won multiple trophies in Qatar, including the Qatar Stars League with Al-Gharafa in 2005, 2008, 2009 and 2010.
4. Mohammed Razak ‘Sion’
Born April 4, 1986 in Accra. Mohammed Razak, a center-forward, arrived in Qatar in 2007 and first played for Muaither. He played for the team in the second division for three years, before earning a move to Lekhwiya, where he spent 6 seasons but spent time on loan at Qatar SC and Al Arabi in 2012/13 and 2013/14 respectively.
The center-forward left Lekhwiya in 2016 for Al-Gharafa. He later went on to play for Al-Kharaitiyat and most recently Al-Shamal.
Razak in 2001 gained Qatari citizenship and represented the Qatar national team. He made 16 appearances for the team and scored 3 goals. Sion ‘s first appearance came in July 2021 against Vietnam and his first goal in October 2011 against Indonesia.
5. George Kwasi Semakor
George Kwasi Semakor was born in January 6, 1988, in Kumasi. Semakor who played as a defender arrived in Qatar in 2007 and first played for Muaither. He later played for Al Gharafa, where he spent 9 seasons and became a household name.
Semakor last played for Al-Sailiya SC between 2017–2021.
The defender gained Qatari citizenship in 2010 and represented the Qatar national team. He made 5 appearances, with the first coming in a 1-1 draw against Bosnia and Herzegovina in August 2010.
6. Mohammed Abdulla Anyass ‘Chabala’
Born March 23, 1982. Mohammed Abdulla Anyass was the first Ghanaian born player to play for the Qatar national team. Anyass who’s nicknamed ‘Chabala’ was a goalkeeper and made 2 appearances for the Qatar national team. His first appearance came against Oman in the Gulf Cup in January 2004.