As the 2019/2020 UEFA Champions League comes an end today, Ghanaweb takes a look at how Ghanaian players exited the tournament with their respective European clubs.
Five Ghanaian players featured in the 2019/2020 UEFA Champions League, namely: Joseph Paintsi, Majeed Ashimeru, Richmond Boakye Yiadom, Kwadwo Asamoah and Thomas Partey.
Joseph Paintsil, FC Genk, Belgium
The former Tema Youth player played 3 games for his side who crushed out in the Group Stages.
He played 2 games against Napoli and another against Red Bull Salzburg. Paintsil's FC Genk finished 4th with 1 point. The midfielder played as a substitute in all 3 games and was yellow carded against Salzburg.
Majeed Ashimeru, Red Bull Salzburg, Austria
The midfielder also played four games for his club in the UEFA Champions League. The product of West African Football Academy featured in both legs against Liverpool and Napoli.
Ashimeru came on as a substitute in all three games. Red Bull Salzburg were demoted to the Europa League after placing 3rd with 7 points in the UCL.
Richmond Boakye Yiadom, Red Star Belgrade, Serbia
The Ghanaian striker played 5 out of 6 games in his side's Champions League campaign.
He played both legs against Olympiacos and Bayern Leverkusen. He was a 67th minute substitute in Red Stars 4-0 defeat to Tottenham. His only goal came in the 1st leg game against Olympiacos and was yellow carded in that encounter. Boakye Yiadom's Red Star Belgrade were booted out of the competition after placing 4th with 3 points.
Kwadwo Asamoah, Inter Milan, Italy
The experienced midfielder played only in the first legs of the UEFA Champions League before being sidelined by Coach Antonio Conte.
He was in action in Inter Milan’s draw against Slavia Prague, played full time also in his sides 2-1 defeat to Barcelona. Asamoah was subbed after 80 minutes in Inter Milan’s 2-0 win over Dortmund.
The Black and Blues were knocked out of the competition after finishing 3rd behind Dortmund and Barcelona with 7 points.
The Ghanaian was however not included in Inter's Europa league campaign after being demoted.
Thomas Partey, Athletico Madrid, Spain
Undoubtedly the most capped Ghanaian in the 2019/2020 UEFA Champions League campaign, Partey played all games in the Group Stages against Juventus, Locomotive Moscow and Bayern Leverkusen. He was not substituted in the Group stages.
The Ghanaian scored one of two goals against Locomotive Moscow in the first leg and was booked in that encounter.
Partey was instrumental in Atletico Madrid’s triumph over defending champions, Liverpool. He saw 120 minutes of action in the 2nd leg against Liverpool where Simeone's men scored 3 unanswered goal in extra time to eliminate the Premier League champions.
Interestingly, Athletico Madrid were knocked out of the Champions league in the only game Partey did not feature in. The 27-year-old watched the game from the bench after picking up an injury ahead of that encounter.
Simeone’s men missed Partey badly in that encounter such that they lost 2-1 to RB Leipzig to exit the competition.
Ghanaian players in the Champions league