It’s morning in the slums of Sabon Zongo, a suburb of Kumasi, Ghana’s second most populated city. From underneath corrugated tin shacks and slum tarpaulins come the metallic clatter of early morning chores. Defying their mothers, the local children are already on the sandy pitches playing football and usually barefooted.
Mohammed Muntari’s football journey began like most of African footballers, playing barefooted, training bib flapping and exposing skinny ribs, the unmarked pitch and one of the country’s largest slums on the other side . The goalposts are rusted. The level of skill shown by the 11- and 12 year old players is undeniably exceptional.
Muntari was born on 20th December 1993 in Ghana and has been working his way up through the ranks which kick started from the Golden Lions Soccer Academy, owned by former Ghana international Nii Lamptey. In 2018, he moved to Syrian club Al-Jaish FC.
He established himself as one of the best strikers in the Syrian top-tier league. During his two-year stay in Syria he notched up 18 goals in 45 matches which attracted him interest from some clubs in the mainstream Europe.
Later in 2015 he signed for Lekjwiya before leaving to join Al-Duhali after two seasons, where he had a rough season and was loaned twice to Al Ahli before returning to the club in 2019 to feature in 45 games and scored 13 goals. His journey as a footballer has been interesting, to be described “Muntari the traveler”
At the international level, the 28-year-old naturalised to play for Qatar in 2014 and made his debut in December that year for the Middle East nation in a friendly against Estonia.
Muntari was accused of dumping his country of birth for the petrodollars of Qatar, claims he rubbished during a TV interview in Ghana early this year.
"It was never financial [switching to Qatar]. We play football firstly because we love football and we want to take care of the people we want to take care of," Muntari told TV3
A childhood move, ancestry, or wanting more game time are amongst the most common reasons players choose to do so.
Higuain is one of only three foreign born players to have represented Argentina at a World Cup. Born in Brest, France, the Juventus striker moved to Argentina with his family aged just 10 months, but only became an Argentine national in 2007.
Muntari’s switch to Qatar came as shock to most footballing fans and most people thinks he is the first or only Ghanaian to play for Qatar but which is not true.
There was a certain Mohammed Kasola who played for the Qatari national team from 2010–2017. He was a center-back and made 64 appearances for the team, scoring 7 goals. The Madina-born notably playing for Al-Sadd and Al-Rayyan.
Mohammed Muntari has scored 14 goals in 40 games after making his debut for Qatar.
He is a prolific goalscorer, and despite being more of an individualistic attacker, he is also capable of providing assists for his teammates, due to his vision, passing and crossing ability. He is extremely powerful, fast, and technical player, with excellent movement, as well as being a composed finisher.
On 25th November 2022, he became the first player to score Qatar’s first-ever World Cup goal against Senegal with a superb header.
He has written his name in an indelible gold ink in the history of Qatar football. One that will last till the end of time.
His journey has been wonderful, from Sabon Zongo, a suburb in the second city of Ghana to the globe stage and now in Asia’s football cathedrals in Qatar, is just amazing.
By: Gideon Amoah
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