Retired Ghanaian footballer Samuel Osei Kuffour has been rated the third best African defender of all time. This assertion was arrived at after a survey conducted across the continent on the top finest to have graced the continent.
The ex-Ghana defender as voted third on the list. Topping the list was late Nigerian Coach Stephen Keshi who was followed by South Africa’s Lucas Radebe. Samuel Kuffuor however, got more votes than other renowned African defenders like Cameroon’s Rigobert Song, Morocco’s Nouredine Naybet and Nigeria’s Taribo West.
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The top ten list is seen below…
1. Stephen Keshi- Nigeria
2. Lucas Radebe-South Africa
3. Samuel Osei Kuffuor- Ghana
4. Rigobert Song- Cameroon
5. Taribo West- Nigeria
6. Celestine Baba Yara- Nigeria
7. Nouredine Naybet – Morroco
8. Khalid Badra-Tunisia
9. Wael Gomah- Egypt
10. Musah Otieno- Kenya
Born on 3 September 1976, the ex-defender is best remembered for his time with Bayern Munich, whom he represented for over a decade, winning a total of 16 major titles, and playing in nearly 250 official matches. The 40-year-old won several domestic titles with Bayern Munich and crowned it UEFA Champions League and Inter-Continental Cup titles in 2001.
He was part of the Black Stars team that played at the 2006 FIFA World Cup in Germany. Kuffour appeared with the Ghanaian national team in the 2006 World Cup, as well as in four Africa Cup of Nations.
Ghana’s Samuel Osei Kuffour spent 11 seasons with Bayern, rising from the youth teams to be a prominent first squad member who lifted the UEFA Champions League with the club.
Kuffour who was a Ghana international for 13 years, won his first cap as a 17-year-old in a game against Sierra Leone on 28 November 1993. He was a part of every national team – junior, youth and Olympic level – and became the full squad’s captain at the age of 23.
Kuffour was the youngest Olympic Football Champion of all-time, when he collected bronze at the 1992 Olympics just before his 16th birthday. He was also a member of the squad that reached the quarterfinals at the same level in 1996.
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