Ghana may not be part of the on-going European championship in Poland and Ukraine but the highly talented West African football nation has three gifted sons representing other countries at the tournament.
The trio with Ghanaian Origin partaking in Europe’s biggest soccer competition are Mario Barwuah Baloteli, Danny Welbeck and Jerome Boateng who are playing for Italy, England and Germany respectively.
Leading the park is arguably the most controversial player at the soccer fiesta, Mario Barwuah Baloteli. The Italian forward was born to Ghanaian parents Thomas and Rose Barwuah who had moved to Italy to seek greener pastures. After giving birth to young Baloteli , the poor immigrants gave out young Barwuah for adoption at his nurturing stage to a certain rich Italian family who gave him the name Baloteli.
His upbringing by the Baloteli family saw him more attached to his adopted family than his biological parents. Growing up as talented footballer, ‘Super Mario’ as e is affectionately called took up an Italian citizenship and represented Italy at the junior level before eventually snubbing Ghana in 2007 when then Ghanaian coach Claude Le Roy invited him to feature for the Black Stars.
The Italian Football Federation upon recognising his budding talent at club level drafted him into the senior national team in an international friendly against Ivory Coast in 2010 and incidentally became the first black player to play for the Azurri. He has since become an integral part of the Italian national side which is seeking to annex the European Cup they last won in 1968.
With the Barwuah Baloteli registered for this year’s tournament, the Manchester City star has so far started in all of Italy’s s matches at this year’s European championship.
Next on the list of these mercenaries is 22 years old, Daniel Nii Tackie Mensah Welbeck who has overlooked Ghana to play for England despite several failed attempts by the Ghana Football Association to lure him .
The Manchester United star was born to Ghanaian parents but after been capped by England at youth level, he saw it as prudent and a ‘natural progression’ to represent England at the senior level rather than the country of his parents.
Welbeck’s dream to play for the Three Lions against the wish many Ghanaians came into reality in March 2011 when Ex –England Manager Fabio Cappelo included the quick -thinking youngster in the England squad that drew 1-1 with Ghana at the Wembley. Joining the action on the 81st minute in place of Ashley Young, any touch of the ball by Welbeck was greeted with boos from the thousands of Ghanaian supporters who had trooped to the stadium for this historic match.
The England-born Ghanaian scored his first goal for England in a 1-0 friendly against Belgium on June 2012 after finding himself in Roy Hogson’s 23 man list for the Euros.
At the tournament, Welbeck has seen some playing time in the absence of his fellow club team -mate Wayne Rooney. He started England’s opener against France and scored the winning goal in their 3-2 over Sweden.
Completing the list stalwart defender Jerome Boateng . Born to a Ghanaian father but a German Mother, Jerome unlike his senior brother Kevin-Prince Boateng opted to represent Germany at the international stage after both players made appearances for the European nation as teens.
Jerome debuted for Germany in 2009 against Russia . A debut which first was very historic in the sense that, he became the first German international to get sent off on a debut.
Currently plying his trade with Bayern Munich , he again made history together with Kevin-Prince Boateng as the first siblings to play against each other at the FIFA World Cup in South Africa two years ago.
Though the latter has called it a quit on his international career with Ghana, Jerome Boateng continues to play for Germany which is the most successful European Championship team with three titles to their credit. They are currently tipped as one of the favourites to win the ultimate in Poland and Ukraine.
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