Think Mohammed Kudus, Kamaldeen Sulemana, or Thomas Partey – those are names many would expect to be making headlines in Europe after two UEFA Champions League (UCL) rounds of games.
But this year, 24-year-old Emmanuel Addai was the talk of the town when he became Ghana’s first goal scorer in Europe’s elite club competition.
Addai scored the second goal in Qarabag’s 2-0 victory over Danish side Copenhagen on matchday two to help the club win their second UCL game this season. This suddenly cast the spotlight on him.
So, what really is Addai’s story?
Addai was born in Kumasi and came through the academy system, playing for JMG Academy, which is owned by former French international Jean-Marc Guillou. He played there for a while before earning a move in August 2021 to FC 93 Bobigny in France.
But he wouldn’t stay for long. He netted six times in 20 games for the club and then came interest from Spain after just 11 months.
Major professional hurdle
Addai joined Spanish third-tier side AD Alorcon on July 12, 2022. There, he was ready to hit the ground running, albeit life had other plans. The Ghanaian winger was sidelined for half a season due to challenges with his registration.
His debut came six months later on January 14, 2023, in a 3-1 win over Deportivo La Coruna.
