Anthony Obodai (born 6 August 1982) is a Ghanaian former professional footballer who played as a midfielder.[1]
 Obodai with the Pittsburgh Riverhounds in 2014 | |||
| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Date of birth | 6 August 1982 | ||
| Place of birth | Accra, Ghana | ||
| Position(s) | Midfielder | ||
| Senior career* | |||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) |
| 2000–2001 | Liberty Professionals | ||
| 2001–2005 | Ajax | 21 | (2) |
| 2002–2003 | → Germinal Beerschot (loan) | 29 | (2) |
| 2005–2007 | Sparta Rotterdam | 47 | (1) |
| 2007–2010 | RKC Waalwijk | 88 | (5) |
| 2010 | Houston Dynamo | 4 | (0) |
| 2012 | Mağusa Türk Gücü | 13 | (2) |
| 2013 | Phoenix FC | 24 | (0) |
| 2014 | Pittsburgh Riverhounds | 16 | (0) |
| 2015 | Ånge | 24 | (3) |
| International career‡ | |||
| 1999 | Ghana U17 | 6 | (1) |
| 2001 | Ghana U20 | 3 | (0) |
| 2003–2005 | Ghana | 4 | (0) |
|
*Club domestic league appearances and goals, correct as of September 16, 2014 ‡ National team caps and goals, correct as of September 16, 2014 | |||
Career
editClub career
editBorn in Accra, Obodai began his career with local team Liberty Professionals in 2000.[2] He signed for Dutch team Ajax in 2001, playing on loan at Belgian side Germinal Beerschot during the 2002–03 season. In August 2005 a move to English side Luton Town collapsed,[3] and Obodai moved to Sparta Rotterdam two days later.[4] Obodai was made club captain at Sparta,[5] but asked to leave the club in January 2007, signing for RKC Waalwijk on 31 January 2007.[6] During his time in the Netherlands and Belgium, Obodai made nearly 200 appearances.[7]
Obodai was signed by Houston Dynamo of Major League Soccer in July 2010,[8] making four appearances before being released at the end of the season.[9]
In January 2012 he signed a contract at Birinci Lig side Mağusa Türk Gücü in Northern Cyprus.[10]
In February 2013, Obodai signed for Phoenix FC of the USL Pro, the third division of the United States soccer pyramid.[11] In his first season with the club, Obodai made 24 appearances and tallied one assist.[12] When Phoenix FC faced financial difficulty after its first season of existence, Obodai signed for the Pittsburgh Riverhounds, also of the USL Pro, on 7 November 2013.[13]
In January 2015 he signed with Ånge in the Swedish Division 2.[14] He left the club after the season.[15]
International career
editObodai played at the 1999 FIFA U-17 World Championship and the 2001 FIFA World Youth Championship.[16] He also earned four senior caps for Ghana between 2003 and 2005.[2]
References
edit- ^ Dit is het leven van Anthony 'The King' Obodai in Ghana vice.com
- ^ a b Anthony Obodai at National-Football-Teams.com
- ^ "Boss backtracks on Obodai swoop". BBC Sport. 28 August 2005. Retrieved 8 February 2011.
- ^ Ibrahim Sannie (30 August 2005). "Obodai signs for Sparta Rotterdam". BBC Sport. Retrieved 8 February 2011.
- ^ Ibrahim Sannie (27 January 2007). "Ghana's Obodai wants Sparta exit". BBC Sport. Retrieved 8 February 2011.
- ^ Ibrahim Sannie (31 January 2007). "Ghana's Obodai joins Waalwijk". BBC Sport. Retrieved 8 February 2011.
- ^ (in Dutch) Voetbal International
- ^ K.N.S. Mensah (15 July 2010). "Anthony Obodai Joins MLS Club Houston Dynamo". Goal.com. Retrieved 8 February 2011.
- ^ MLS profile Archived February 25, 2011, at the Wayback Machine
- ^ KTFF profile
- ^ Domingo, Odeen. "Phoenix FC midfielder and ex-Dutch league pro Anthony Obodai loves Phoenix". AZcentral.com. Retrieved 28 October 2013.
- ^ "Phoenix FC 2013 Statistics". USL Pro. Archived from the original on 20 October 2013. Retrieved 28 October 2013.
- ^ Vesty. "HOUNDS SIGN ANTHONY OBODAI". Steel Army. Retrieved 8 November 2013.
- ^ "Zlatans lagkamrat klar – för Ånge IF". Aftonbladet. 7 January 2015.
- ^ "Nybygget Ånge IF är redo för premiären: "Vi är en familj"". Sundsvalls Tidning.
- ^ Anthony Obodai – FIFA competition record (archived)