It’s the birthday of a football legend who was well known for his good defensive play on the pitch. He was nicknamed the “Rock of Gibraltar”. www.ghanacelebrations.com wishes John Mensah a very happy birthday and many more.
John Mensah (born 29 November 1982) is a former Ghanaian professional footballer who last played as a defender for AFC United in the Swedish second-tier .
Born in Obuasi, Ashanti, Mensah is a product of the scouting system in Ghana that identifies talented youngsters long before they enter any formal structures and exports them to potential fame and fortune in Europe. A centre-half by choice, he is also adept at right-back and has played in both positions for his national side, also captaining the team on occasions. His physique has earned him the moniker the “Rock of Gibraltar”, and Mensah was considered a certainty to be named to Ghana’s squad for the 2006 FIFA World Cup. He spent the 2009–10 and 2010–11 seasons on loan at English club Sunderland in the Premier League.
Club career
International career
John Mensah playing for Ghana at the 2008 Africa Cup of Nations.
Mensah was included in the Ghana national under-20 team squad for the 2001 FIFA World Youth Championship in Argentina. During the tournament, he played a role against Brazil and scored in the fourth minute of extra time in the tournament’s quarter-finals to send Ghana through. Mensah then started in the final, as Ghana lost 3–0 against the host nation Argentina.
Mensah’s senior debut for Ghana was against Algeria on 5 December 2001, just after his 19th birthday, on the eve of the 2002 African Cup of Nations finals in Mali, a tournament at which his aerial ability was a prominent feature of Ghana’s play. He made four appearances in the tournament, as Ghana was eliminated in the quarter–final following a 1–0 loss against Nigeria.
Mensah played for the Ghana Olympic team, known as the Black Meteors, in the 2004 Summer Olympics and played two times, as they finished in third place in Group B. Two years later, he participated in his second African Cup of Nations tournament in Egypt, and was selected for All-Star Team of the Tournament by the Confederation of African Football. Mensah was also solidity personified during Ghana’s successful qualifying campaign for the 2006 FIFA World Cup.
Mensah was called up to the Ghana squad for the FIFA World Cup in Germany. He made his World Cup debut and started the whole game, in a 2–0 loss against Italy on 12 June 2006. Following a 2–0 win against Czech Republic, Mensah helped Ghana finish second place in Group E following a 2–1 victory over the United States in their final group match. After the final whistle, Mensah lifted his team jersey to reveal a T-shirt displaying “John Mensah – Rock of Gibraltar”, his nickname in Ghana. However, in the round of 16, Ghana was eliminated by the defending champions, Brazil following a 3–0 loss. Ghana’s head coach at the World Cup, Ratomir Dujković, would later cite Mensah for high commendations after the tournament.
In May 2010, Mensah was called up to the Ghana squad for the FIFA World Cup in South Africa. He was eventually named in the 23-man squad. Mensah captained Ghana for the first time in the tournament, starting the whole game and helped the national side win 1–0 against Serbia. Mensah later captained Ghana to an impressive quarter-final finish at the 2010 World Cup, where the Black Stars were eliminated on penalties by Uruguay following a 1–1 draw after extra time, in which he took the third penalty with his team, but it was saved by the opposition keeper, Fernando Muslera. A year later on 8 September 2011, Mensah scored his first goal for Ghana, in a 2–0 win against Sudan.
International goals
Goal # Date Venue Opponent Score Result Competition
1 7 October 2011 Al-Hilal Stadium, Khartoum, Sudan Sudan 2–0 Win 2012 CAF Qualifying
2 24 January 2012 Stade de Franceville, Franceville, Gabon Botswana 1–0 Win 2012 Africa Cup of Nations
3 5 February 2012 Stade de Franceville, Franceville, Gabon Tunisia 2–1 Win 2012 Africa Cup of Nations
Correct as of 9 March 2017.
Personal life
In February 2002, Mensah is married and together, they have four children. However, they announced their divorce after a decade together. John Mensah got married again in November 2014.
John is the half-brother of Ghana national team player Ekow Benson and has two sisters and brothers. In October 2019, his mother passed away at age 78 after a short illness. Mensah’s father John Attu Mensah was also a footballer who played for Cambridge United and the Ghana senior team, he died in June 2021.
Honours :
International
Ghana U20
FIFA World Youth Championship runner-up: 2001
Ghana
Africa Cup of Nations Bronze Medal: 2008
Africa Cup of Nations Silver Medal: 2010
Individual
Ghana 2008 Samsung Fair Play Award
Societe Generale Trophy: September 2006
Ghana Player of the Year: 2006.
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