Five things Sulley Muntari can offer Ghana champions Hearts of Oak

Five things Sulley Muntari can offer Ghana champions Hearts of Oak

Isaac Darko
updated at April 12, 2023 at 7:55 PM
In this article:
Sulley Muntari logo
S. Muntari
-MGhana logo
  • Sulley Muntari has officially signed for Ghana Premier League champions Hearts of Oak
  • The legendary midfielder joins the Phobians after almost two years without a club since last playing for Spanish team Albacete Balompie
  • Here are five things Hearts of Oak fans can expect from the Ghanaian international

Hearts of Oak have unveiled former AC Milan and Inter Milan midfielder Sulley Muntari.

The Phobians announced the signing of the 37-year-old in a Twitter post on Tuesday afternoon, with the caption: “Welcome to Hearts of Oak.”

Muntari has played for a host of clubs in his illustrious career such as Liberty Professionals, Udinese, Portsmouth, AC Milan, Sunderland and winning the UEFA Champions League with Inter Milan in 2010 under Coach Jose Mourinho.

Though, details of his contract is still unknown, it is believed the former Black Stars midfielder has joined Samuel Boadu's side until the end of the season.

While some are excited at the experience and leadership he brings to the team, another section are worried at the age factor affecting his performance.

Here is a list of excellent quality the Ghanaian international brings to the Hearts of Oak team.

Experience and Quality

Five things Sulley Muntari can offer Ghana champions Hearts of Oak
Photo of Sulley Muntari (left) and Mario Gotze during the Ghana vs Germany clash at the 2014 World Cup. SOURCE: Twitter/@ghanaballers
Source: Getty Images

One of Hearts of Oak's strengths in their double winning team last season was their midfield. Benjamin Afutu, Emmanuel Nettey and Frederick Ansah Botchway were instrumental in the Phobian’s extraterrestrial and almost medieval success in Ghana last season.

Following the transfer of Afutu to Egyptian club Eastern Company Sporting Club, and Nettey's dip in form and eventual move to Irag, Samuel Boadu needs someone to solidify the centre of the pitch for his side.

The recruitment of Sulley Muntari will go a long way in ameliorating this problem in the middle. With just one year deal offered , it is obvious he is more of a quick fix than a long term solution. He brings to the team huge quality and experience which will help Hearts of Oak's cause this season.

Quality Distribution

Five things Sulley Muntari can offer Ghana champions Hearts of Oak
Photo of Sulley Muntari. SOURCE: Twitter/@ghanaballers
Source: Getty Images

Last season, Hearts of Oak were known for their ball playing prowess in midfield, this is an area Sulley Muntari rates very high as he is comfortable with the ball at his feet and can pick out his man with either a long pass and a short one.

With the pace of Afriyie Barnieh in attack, you can only salivate at the beauty of goals that would be scored by the Ghana U-2O captain from this strategy.

Next level anticipation

Five things Sulley Muntari can offer Ghana champions Hearts of Oak
Photo of Sulley Muntari. SOURCE: Twitter/@ghanaballers
Source: Twitter

Sulley Muntari is one of the best midfielders to have donned the Black Stars jersey for the past two decades with his peerless level of anticipation of opponents positioning, dangers, and threats. These are attributes the Hearts of Oak team would benefit massively from given the poor goals they've conceded this term.

The 37-year-old has no option but to prove he still has all the technique he has exhibited in the past in his system. This can indeed push the Accra-based side in their fight for the title.

Sound leadership

Five things Sulley Muntari can offer Ghana champions Hearts of Oak
Photo of Sulley Muntari. SOURCE: Twitter/@ghanasoccernet
Source: Twitter

The Hearts of Oak team have an array of promising youngsters in midfield such as Salim Adams, Salifu Ibrahim, etc who are relatively young. Muntari would be a worthy leader providing the on the pitch coordination and leadership allowing the youngsters to learn massively.

Muntari is one of the few players to make an appearance in the three previous editions of the World Cup before Russia 2018. He has also gathered some level of games under his belt with clubs like Udinese, Portsmouth, Inter Milan and AC Milan.

This level of experience can as well lift the spirit of the Phobians as they chase their fiercest rivals, Asante Kotoko, to defend the Premier League title.

Winning mentality

Five things Sulley Muntari can offer Ghana champions Hearts of Oak
Photo of Sulley Muntari. SOURCE: Facebook/ghanaxtra.
Source: UGC

Sulley Muntari with his wealth of experience has gained the knack of winning in his career. The left-footed player played an instrumental role in Portsmouth emerging 2008 FA cup winners.

He also played a part in Inter Milan’s UEFA Champions League triumph in 2010 with Jose Mourinho. That mentality is enough to lift the spirit of his teammates each and every step of the way to the rest of the season.

Lovely Video of Ghanaian Champions Hearts Announcing Signing of Sulley Muntari Drops

Earlier today, Ghanaian football giants, Hearts of Oak, announced the signing of former AC Milan and Inter Milan star, Sulley Aliu Muntari.

The legendary Ghanaian midfielder penned a one-year deal with the 2000 CAF Champions League winners.

In a lovely video to announce his arrival, the Phobians went back to pick one of his best goals which came in the game against Uruguay at the 2010 World Cup.

Authors
Isaac Darko photo
Isaac Darko
Isaac Darko is a La Liga, Ligue 1 and Bundesliga editor at Sports Brief with a Degree in Journalism and Communications from Ghana Institute of Journalism (2010)