Mohammed Abu
Mohammed Abu (born 14 November 1991) is a Ghanaian professional footballer who plays as a midfielder. He previously played for Strømsgodset, Rayo Vallecano, Lorient, Columbus Crew SC, and Vålerenga, and also spent time with Manchester City, Eintracht Frankfurt, and AGF. Abu has appeared for the Ghanaian national team.
 Abu with Columbus in 2017 | |||
| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Date of birth | 14 November 1991 | ||
| Place of birth | Accra, Ghana | ||
| Height | 1.70 m (5 ft 7 in)[1] | ||
| Position(s) | Central midfielder | ||
| Youth career | |||
| –2010 | Sporting Club Accra | ||
| Senior career* | |||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) |
| 2010–2014 | Manchester City | 0 | (0) |
| 2010–2011 | → Strømsgodset (loan) | 35 | (1) |
| 2010–2011 | → Strømsgodset 2 (loan) | 2 | (0) |
| 2012 | → Eintracht Frankfurt (loan) | 0 | (0) |
| 2012 | → Strømsgodset (loan) | 11 | (2) |
| 2012–2013 | → Rayo Vallecano (loan) | 1 | (0) |
| 2013 | → Lorient (loan) | 7 | (0) |
| 2013–2014 | → AGF (loan) | 0 | (0) |
| 2014–2016 | Strømsgodset | 82 | (1) |
| 2016 | Strømsgodset 2 | 1 | (0) |
| 2017–2018 | Columbus Crew | 24 | (0) |
| 2018 | → Vålerenga (loan) | 10 | (0) |
| 2018 | → Vålerenga 2 (loan) | 1 | (0) |
| 2019–2020 | Vålerenga | 24 | (0) |
| 2020 | → D.C. United (loan) | 6 | (0) |
| National team‡ | |||
| 2011– | Ghana | 6 | (0) |
|
* Senior club appearances and goals counted for the domestic league only and correct as of 11:26, 1 December 2020 (UTC) ‡ National team caps and goals correct as of 1 July 2017 | |||
Club career
Manchester City loans
After playing youth football with Sporting Club Accra, Abu signed for English side Manchester City on 31 August 2010.[2] He was immediately loaned to Norwegian club Strømsgodset, where he made his professional debut.[3] On 29 June 2011, Abu's loan deal was extended until December 2011.[4]
In October 2011, Abu signed a new contract with Manchester City, until June 2014.[5] In January 2012, he joined German 2. Bundesliga side Eintracht Frankfurt on loan.[6][7] Without playing a match he again was transferred to Strømsgodset at the end of March.[8] On 19 May he scored twice in Strømsgodset's 3–2 victory over Fredrikstad.[9] In August 2012, he joined Spanish club Rayo Vallecano on loan.[10]
He joined French club Lorient on loan on 1 February 2013.[11]
He signed a loan deal with Danish club AGF on 2 September 2013.[12]
Strømsgodset
On 21 February 2014, Abu joined Norwegian side Strømsgodset again, this time on a permanent deal.[13]
Columbus Crew SC
In January 2017 he signed for MLS side Columbus Crew SC.[14]
On 10 August 2018, Abu was sent on a season-long loan to Vålerenga.[15] The deal was made permanent on 4 October 2018.[16]
D.C. United
In March 2020, Abu was transferred to MLS club D.C. United on a one-year loan with a permanent option.[17] Abu suffered a knee injury on 19 September, in a 2–2 draw against Toronto FC, which ruled him out for the rest of the season.[18] His option was declined by D.C. United after the 2020 season.[19]
International career
Abu made his international debut for Ghana on 8 October 2011, as part of 2012 Africa Cup of Nations qualification. Against Sudan, he replaced Derek Boateng in the 75th minute of a 2–0 victory for the Black Stars.[20] Three days later, in a friendly against Nigeria, Abu started for Ghana for the first time; he played 54 minutes in a scoreless draw.[21] Although he had appeared just once in qualifying, Abu was included in Ghana's provisional squad for the 2012 Africa Cup of Nations on 15 December 2011.[22] He was selected as part of the final 23-man squad on 11 January 2012,[23] and would go on to appear twice at the tournament. Abu played once in the group stage, and then started in the third place match as Ghana were defeated by Mali.[24]
After appearing at AFCON, Abu would not be called back into the Black Stars setup for more than five years. In June 2017, he was called up by head coach James Kwesi Appiah for a set of friendlies against Mexico and the United States, although he was excused from an earlier 2019 Africa Cup of Nations qualifier against Ethiopia.[25]
Career statistics
Club
| Club | Season | League | Domestic Cup[lower-alpha 1] | League Cup | Continental | Other[lower-alpha 2] | Total | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Division | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | ||
| Manchester City | 2010–11 | Premier League | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | – | 0 | 0 | |
| 2011–12 | Premier League | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |
| 2012–13 | Premier League | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |
| 2013–14 | Premier League | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | – | 0 | 0 | ||
| Total | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | ||
| Strømsgodset (loan) | 2010 | Tippeligaen | 8 | 0 | 1 | 0 | – | – | – | 9 | 0 | |||
| 2011 | Tippeligaen | 27 | 1 | 3 | 0 | – | 2[lower-alpha 3] | 0 | – | 32 | 1 | |||
| Total | 35 | 1 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 41 | 1 | ||
| Strømsgodset 2 (loan) | 2010 | 2. divisjon | 1 | 0 | – | – | – | – | 1 | 0 | ||||
| 2011 | 2. divisjon | 1 | 0 | – | – | – | – | 1 | 0 | |||||
| Total | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | ||
| Eintracht Frankfurt (loan) | 2011–12 | 2. Bundesliga | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | – | – | – | 0 | 0 | |||
| Strømsgodset (loan) | 2012 | Tippeligaen | 11 | 2 | 1 | 0 | – | – | – | 12 | 2 | |||
| Rayo Vallecano (loan) | 2012–13 | La Liga | 1 | 0 | 2 | 0 | – | – | – | 3 | 0 | |||
| Lorient (loan) | 2012–13 | Ligue 1 | 7 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | – | – | 8 | 0 | ||
| AGF (loan) | 2013–14 | Danish Superliga | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | – | – | – | 0 | 0 | |||
| Strømsgodset | 2014 | Tippeligaen | 28 | 0 | 2 | 0 | – | 2[lower-alpha 4] | 0 | – | 32 | 0 | ||
| 2015 | Tippeligaen | 27 | 1 | 3 | 1 | – | 6[lower-alpha 3] | 0 | – | 36 | 2 | |||
| 2016 | Tippeligaen | 27 | 0 | 4 | 0 | – | 2[lower-alpha 3] | 0 | – | 33 | 0 | |||
| Total | 82 | 1 | 9 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 10 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 101 | 2 | ||
| Strømsgodset 2 | 2016 | 2. divisjon | 1 | 0 | – | – | – | – | 1 | 0 | ||||
| Columbus Crew SC | 2017 | MLS | 20 | 0 | 0 | 0 | – | – | 3 | 0 | 23 | 0 | ||
| 2018 | 4 | 0 | 1 | 0 | – | – | 0 | 0 | 5 | 0 | ||||
| Total | 24 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 28 | 0 | ||
| Vålerenga (loan) | 2018 | Eliteserien | 6 | 0 | 1 | 0 | – | – | – | 7 | 0 | |||
| Vålerenga 2 (loan) | 2018 | 2. divisjon | 1 | 0 | – | – | – | – | 1 | 0 | ||||
| Career total | 170 | 4 | 19 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 12 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 204 | 5 | ||
- Includes the Norwegian Football Cup, Copa del Rey, Coupe de France, and U.S. Open Cup
- All appearances in the MLS Cup Playoffs
- Appearances in the UEFA Europa League
- Appearances in the UEFA Champions League
References
- "Mohammed Abu – Columbus Crew SC". ColumbusCrewSC.com. Retrieved 10 August 2018.
- "Manchester City sign Mohammed Abu, but 18-year-old Ghanaian will spend season-long loan at Stromsgodset". Goal.com. 31 August 2010. Retrieved 7 August 2018.
- "Strømsgodset 1–3 Molde". ESPN.com. Retrieved 7 August 2018.
- "Man City prospect Mohammed Abu extends Stromsgodset loan". TribalFootball.com. 29 June 2011. Retrieved 29 June 2011.
- Oscroft, Tim (20 October 2011). "MOHAMMED ABU PENS NEW CITY DEAL". ManCity.com. Retrieved 27 November 2011.
- "Eintracht Frankfurt: Alles klar! Mohammed Abu kommt von Manchester City" [Eintracht Frankfurt: All right! Mohammed Abu is from Manchester City]. Liga-Zwei.de (in German). 26 December 2011. Retrieved 26 December 2011.
- "Ghana's Moahmmed Abu moves to German side Frankfurt". BBC.com. 2 January 2012.
- "Mohammed Abu Leaves Frankfurt; Returns To Stromsgodset". NewsGhana.com. 3 April 2012. Retrieved 12 April 2012.
- Danielsen, Steinar Andre (19 May 2012). "Kovacs om sin lekkerbisken: – Det er årets mål" [Kovacs about his delicacy: - It is the year's goals]. NRK.no (in Norwegian). Retrieved 26 May 2012.
- "ABU JOINS RAYO VALLECANO ON LOAN". ManCity.com. 29 August 2012. Retrieved 30 August 2012.
- Okai Gyimah, Edmund (1 February 2013). "Manchester City's Mohammed Abu joins Lorient on loan". Goal.com.
- "RAZAK JOINS ANZHI ON LOAN". ManCity.com. 2 September 2013. Retrieved 2 September 2013.
...and 21-year old Ghanaian midfielder Mohammed Abu has joined Danish outfit AGF Aarhus until 31 December.
- "– JEG FØLER MEG HJEMME" [– I FEEL MY HOME]. Godset.no (in Norwegian). 21 February 2014. Archived from the original on 23 February 2014.
- "Columbus Crew SC sign Ghanaian midfielder Mohammed Abu". MLSSoccer.com. 24 January 2017. Retrieved 3 December 2017.
- "Columbus Crew SC midfielder Mohammed Abu set to go on season-long loan to Norwegian first division side Valerenga Fotball | Columbus Crew SC".
- "Columbus Crew SC transfers midfielder Mohammed Abu to Norwegian First Division side Valerenga Fotball | Columbus Crew SC".
- Anderson, Jason (3 March 2020). "Official: D.C. United signs Mohammed Abu on loan". Black And Red United. Retrieved 3 March 2020.
- "DC United's Mohammed Abu season over after horrible knee injury". ghanasoccernet.com. 22 September 2020. Retrieved 10 December 2020.
- "D.C. United Announce End-of-Season Roster Decisions". dcunited.com. 30 November 2020. Retrieved 10 December 2020.
- "Sudan 0–2 Ghana". National-Football-Teams.com. Retrieved 3 October 2018.
- "Ghana, Nigeria draw 0–0 in friendly in England". BBC.com. 12 October 2011. Retrieved 27 December 2011.
- "Veteran keeper left out of Ghana's Nations Cup squad". BBC.com. 15 December 2011. Retrieved 15 December 2011.
- "Asamoah Gyan makes Ghana squad for Nations Cup". BBC.com. 11 January 2012. Retrieved 11 January 2012.
- "Mali's Cheick Diabaté scores twice to sink 10-man Ghana". TheGuardian.com. Retrieved 3 October 2018.
- "Five USA-based players in Ghana squad to face Mexico, USA in friendlies". ModernGhana.com. Retrieved 3 October 2018.
- "Mohammed Abu at Alt om fotball". AltOmFotball.no.
- Mohammed Abu at Soccerway
- Mohammed Abu at Major League Soccer
- "Mohammed Abu". National Football Teams. Benjamin Strack-Zimmerman.
External links
- Mohammed Abu at the Norwegian Football Federation (in Norwegian)
