Stanley Opoku Aborah (born 23 June 1987) is a former professional footballer who played as an attacking midfielder. He holds both a Ghanaian passport and a Belgian passport.
.jpg) Aborah (left) in 2008 | |||
| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | Stanley Opoku Aborah[1] | ||
| Date of birth | 23 June 1987 | ||
| Place of birth | Kumasi, Ghana | ||
| Height | 1.70 m (5 ft 7 in) | ||
| Position(s) | Midfielder | ||
| Youth career | |||
| 1997–1998 | Anderlecht | ||
| 1998–1999 | Cappellen | ||
| 1999–2000 | Gent | ||
| 2000–2001 | Germinal Beerschot | ||
| 2001–2004 | Jong Ajax | ||
| Senior career* | |||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) |
| 2004–2006 | Ajax | 4 | (0) |
| 2005–2006 | → Den Bosch (loan) | 21 | (3) |
| 2006–2007 | F.C.V. Dender E.H. | 3 | (0) |
| 2007–2009 | Den Bosch | 36 | (3) |
| 2010 | Gillingham | 1 | (0) |
| 2011 | Cappellen | 14 | (8) |
| 2011–2012 | Vitesse | 13 | (1) |
| 2012–2013 | Mura 05 | 12 | (1) |
| 2013 | Ferencváros | 7 | (1) |
| 2013–14 | Al-Salmiya | ||
| 2015–2017 | Notts County | 42 | (1) |
| 2017 | Portsmouth | 4 | (0) |
| 2018 | Waterford | 24 | (3) |
| International career | |||
| Belgium U19 | |||
| *Club domestic league appearances and goals | |||
Club career
editEarly career
editAborah was born in Kumasi, Ghana, and has had Belgian nationality since he was 10 years old. He had spells at R.S.C. Anderlecht, Cappellen, AA Gent and Germinal Beerschot before joining the Ajax youth team in 2001. His father, Stanley Aborah, Snr, a former Ghana international,[citation needed] operated as a defensive midfielder and played at clubs including Germinal Ekeren (now Germinal Beerschot).
Ajax
editAs a former Jong Ajax captain, he stepped into the senior Ajax squad in 2004–05 and made his debut on 16 October 2004, against SC Heerenveen.[2] Aborah came on as a substitute in the team's UEFA Champions League victory against Maccabi Tel Aviv, replacing Rafael van der Vaart in the 71st minute.[3][4]
FC Den Bosch (loan)
editAjax loaned him in the 2005–06 season to second division F.C. Den Bosch to gain more experience. Aborah took part in 21 matches with this club and scored three goals.[5]
F.C.V. Dender E.H.
editOn 3 January 2007, he signed for Belgian Second Division side FCV Dender EH on a free transfer.
Return to FC Den Bosch
editIn the summer of 2007, Aborah signed a two-year contract with his former club Den Bosch.
As Trenčin
editIn 2010, he left Bosch and joined second division Slovakian team; AS Trenčín.[4]
Gillingham
editAborah joined Gillingham of England's Football League Two on a one-month contract in August 2010 having spent the summer on trial with the Kent side.[6][4] The deal was subsequently extended to two months.[7] He made his Gillingham debut in a 1–0 defeat away to Bradford City on 18 September 2010, but this proved to be his only appearance for the club, as he was released from his contract on 5 October.[8]
Vitesse
editAfter a spell with Belgian side Cappellen, Aborah joined Eredivise side Vitesse. He made 13 league appearances scoring one goal. The club announced that while they had initiated contract renewal talks with Aborah he chose to leave the club.[9]
ND Mura 05
editAborah joined Slovenian side ND Mura in 2012 and made 12 league appearances.
Ferencváros
editAborah then joined Ferencvárosi TC after leaving ND Mura. During his time with the Hungarian side he featured in the 2013 League Cup final, scoring twice in a 5–1 victory over Videoton.[10]
Al-Salmiyah
editAfter leaving Hungary Aborah joined Kuwaiti side Al-Samiyah in September 2013.[citation needed] His time in Kuwait ended in a contract dispute, which prevented Aborah for playing for a year.[11]
Notts County
editIn July 2015, Aborah signed for Notts County after having a trial with the Nottinghamshire side.[12] He remained with the club until he was released on 31 January 2017.[13]
Portsmouth
editAborah subsequently signed for Portsmouth but was released after just 4 appearances, 3 of them as a substitute, in the summer of 2017.[14]
Waterford
editAfter deciding to retire from football Aborah signed for League of Ireland Premier Division side Waterford in January 2018.[15] Aborah made his debut in a 2–1 win against Derry City on 17 February 2018.[16] Aborah retired after a season with the club.
International career
editAborah has dual Ghanaian and Belgian citizenship. He was a Belgium youth (U18) international.[4]
Personal life
editAfter retiring from football Aborah moved to Antwerp, Belgium. He opened a clothing line called Parte and worked for a telecommunications company Cask BV.[17]
References
edit- ^ "List of Players under Written Contract Registered Between 01/08/2010 and 31/08/2010" (PDF). The Football Association. Retrieved 11 October 2010.
- ^ "UEFA Champions League Profile". uefa.com. 14 September 2005. Retrieved 14 September 2005.
- ^ "Ajax 3–0 Maccabi Tel-Aviv". ESPNsoccernet. 19 October 2004. Retrieved 19 October 2004.[dead link]
- ^ a b c d "Aborah signs for the Gills". Gillingham F.C. 5 August 2010. Archived from the original on 6 August 2010. Retrieved 5 August 2010.
- ^ "Stanley Aboran loaned out to Den Bosch". ghanaweb.com. 4 November 2005. Retrieved 4 November 2005.
- ^ Cawdell, Luke (3 August 2010). "Former Ajax player Stanley Aborah hoping to kick-start his career at Gillingham". Kent Online. Retrieved 2 June 2024.
- ^ Hoad, Alex (27 August 2010). "Stanley Aborah gets extended Gillingham deal". Kent Online. Retrieved 2 June 2024.
- ^ "Gillingham release midfielder Stanley Aborah". BBC Sport. 5 October 2010. Retrieved 5 October 2010.
- ^ "Aborah set for Vitesse exit". Sky Sports. 18 April 2012. Retrieved 2 June 2024.
- ^ "Ferencvaros win the league cup final". Fehérvár FC. 24 April 2013. Retrieved 2 June 2024.
- ^ "The lowdown on new Pompey signing Stanley Aborah". The News. 15 February 2017. Retrieved 2 June 2024.
- ^ "Stanley Aborah: Belgian midfielder signs for Notts County". BBC Sport. 17 July 2015. Retrieved 2 June 2024.
- ^ "Notts sign West Brom striker on loan as Aborah leaves Meadow Lane". Nottingham Post. 31 January 2017. Retrieved 13 February 2017.
- ^ "Blues sign Aborah". Portsmouth F.C. 15 February 2017. Retrieved 2 June 2024.
- ^ "Waterford sign former Ajax midfielder Stanley Aborah". ExtraTime.ie.
- ^ "REPORT: Waterford FC 2 Derry City 1 - SSE Airtricity League". 17 February 2018.
- ^ Allen, Neil (18 March 2021). "Ex-Notts County man Stanley Aborah: My future was at wonderful Portsmouth - I retired aged 29 when that was taken from me". The News. Retrieved 2 June 2024.
External links
edit- Stanley Aborah at Soccerway
- Stanley Aborah Interview