Kobbie Mainoo, Eddie Nketiah and Top 4 Players Who Snubbed Ghana For England

Kobbie Mainoo, Eddie Nketiah and Top 4 Players Who Snubbed Ghana For England

Isaac Darko
updated at March 19, 2024 at 7:21 PM
In this article:
Kobbie Mainoo logo
K.Mainoo
Manchester United logoMEngland logo
Callum Hudson-Odoi logo
C. Hudson-Odoi
Nottingham Forest logoFEngland logo
Danny Welbeck logo
D. Welbeck
Brighton Hove Albion logoFEngland logo
Edward Nketiah logo
E. Nketiah
Arsenal logoFEngland logo
Ghana logo
Ghana
Ghana
24
England logo
England
England
26
  • Kobbie Mainoo has chosen to represent England over Ghana
  • But he's not the only Ghanaian to opt for the Three Lions
  • Here are the top players who picked England over Ghana

A number of Ghanaian-born footballers have decided to decline offers to represent the Ghanaian national team, instead opting to play for the Three Lions.

A player like Antoine Semenyo, who was raised and developed in England, is just one of the players who were born in the European country but chose to represent Ghana.

Kobbie Mainoo, Eddie Nketiah, Callum Hudson-Odoi, Danny Welbeck, Ghana, England.
Sports Brief looks at the top four Ghanaian-born footballers who decided to wear the Three Lions jersey. Photos by James Gill/James Williamson.
Source: Getty Images

However, there have been many more footballers of Ghanaian descent who rejected the call to play for the West African country.

Sports Brief looks at the top four Ghanaian-born footballers who decided to wear the Three Lions jersey.

Players who snubbed Ghana for England

Kobbie Mainoo

Initially overlooked by Gareth Southgate when the England manager announced his 25-man squad for the Three Lions' upcoming friendlies, Mainoo received a surprise invitation on Tuesday, March 19, to join the squad for the matches against Brazil and Belgium.

The 18-year-old has already represented England at the under-17s, under-18s, and under-19s levels and is now poised to make his senior debut in the upcoming international friendlies at Wembley Stadium, per the BBC.

Continuing his impressive season, Mainoo made his 20th appearance on Sunday, delivering yet another stellar performance as United secured a thrilling 4-3 victory in extra-time.

Callum Hudson-Odoi

Hudson-Odoi has long been associated with the possibility of switching international allegiance, despite having competed for England.

At the age of 18 years and 135 days, he made his debut in a competitive match, breaking Duncan Edwards' 1955 record by 40 days as the youngest player to do so, per TalkSPORT.

This occurred in March 2019 against the Czech Republic, followed by two more appearances for the Three Lions.

In total, the former Chelsea star has earned three caps for England.

However, an ACL injury has hindered his opportunities at both club and national levels, and he now appears poised to regain his form at Nottingham Forest.

Eddie Nketiah

The Arsenal striker holds the record as the highest goalscorer at Under-21 level for England, boasting an impressive tally of 16 goals in 17 appearances. However, despite this achievement, he has not yet earned a full international cap.

Although Nketiah received his debut call-up to the England squad for their Euro 2024 qualifiers against Ukraine and Scotland, he did not manage to make an appearance on the pitch.

Since he hasn't made a competitive appearance for the Three Lions, he remains eligible to play for Ghana. The Ghanaian national team has approached him and his family on numerous occasions in the past but they declined.

Danny Welbeck

Interestingly, the Brighton and Hove forward made his England debut against Ghana in 2011, the nation he could have opted to represent.

Despite being born and raised in England, Welbeck's parents are both Ghanaian, adding to the intrigue of his international career.

During the match, Welbeck, a former Manchester United and Arsenal striker, was greeted with boos from Ghanaian supporters when he entered the field as a substitute.

The player's full name is Daniel Nii Tackie Mensah Welbeck, and he has accumulated 42 appearances for the Three Lions, finding the net 16 times.

Mainoo's market value surges

The Manchester United prodigy has had a stellar season with the Red Devils, leading to a significant surge in his market value.

With Transfermarkt's latest update unveiled, Sports Brief examines the top 10 players who have seen the most substantial increases in their market worth.

Mainoo's value now stands at €36 million, positioning him as the fourth most valuable teenage midfielder globally.

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)