Harrison Afful

Harrison Afful
Afful with Ghana in 2015
Personal information
Date of birth (1986-07-24) July 24, 1986
Place of birth Tema, Ghana
Height 5 ft 6 in (1.68 m)
Playing position Defender
Club information
Current team
 Columbus Crew SC
Number 25
Youth career
Feyenoord Academy
Senior career*
Years Team Apps (Gls)
2005–2009 Feyenoord Academy 148 (7)
2007–2009 → Asante Kotoko (loan) 68 (3)
2009–2015 ES Tunis 119 (11)
2015– Columbus Crew SC 93 (5)
National team‡
2008– Ghana 77 (0)
* Senior club appearances and goals counted for the domestic league only and correct as of October 6, 2018
‡ National team caps and goals correct as of September 8, 2018

Harrison Afful (born July 24, 1986) is a Ghanaian professional soccer player who plays as a defender for Columbus Crew SC in MLS and the Ghanaian national team.

Club career

Feyenoord Academy

Afful is a product of the Feyenoord Academy and had trials with Feyenoord and K.V. Mechelen in the summer of 2008. In November 2008, he won the Ghana Premier League best player award.[1]

Loan to Asante Kotoko

Afful went out on loan to Asante Kotoko from 2007 to 2009.[2]

ES Tunis

Afful spent time training in Sweden with Helsingborgs IF, but could not agree a deal with the Allsvenskan club.[3] He instead returned to Africa, signing on August 25, 2009 with ES Tunis on a three-year contract.[4] The move to the CLP-1 club marked the first time Afful had played outside of Ghana.

2009–10 season

In his inaugural season at ES Tunis, Afful helped the club to the 2009–10 title, their second consecutive title win. Afful scored for the first time with Tunis on April 28, 2010, coming in a home match against CA Bizertin. His 34th-minute goal tied the match 2–2, but Bizertin scored twice in the second half to notch a 4–2 victory.[5] Afful scored again on May 15, this time in a home match against ES Hammam-Sousse. His 65th-minute goal was not enough to prevent a 2–1 Tunis defeat, however.[6] Tunis went on to win the league by four points over Club Africain, with Afful contributing two goals from 19 appearances.

2010–11 season

Afful again played a large role for ES Tunis in the 2010–11 season, as Tunis claimed their third-straight CLP-1 title by five points over Étoile du Sahel. Afful did not score in 17 league appearances, but did make his first appearance in the Tunisian Cup while helping Tunis to the 14th cup win in club history. Afful finished the year with 18 domestic appearances across all competitions.

In the 2010 CAF Champions League, Afful helped ES Tunis to the final, where they were defeated 6–1 on aggregate by TP Mazembe of the DR Congo. He made his Champions League debut in Group A play, starting on July 16 against ES Sétif of Algeria. Afful picked up a yellow card in the 47th minute and was substituted for Walid Hichri in the 90th minute of a 1–0 win for the Blood and Gold.[7] Afful went on to appear in every group-stage match, as well as both legs of the semifinals against Al Ahly. In the final against Mazembe, Afful started in the first leg but could do nothing to prevent a 5–0 defeat for Tunis in Lubumbashi.[8] In the second leg, Afful scored in the 24th minute to draw Tunis within 5–1 on aggregate, but he also picked up a yellow card in the 62nd minute as the Blood and Gold could only manage a 1–1 draw, falling 6–1 on aggregate.[9] Afful made 10 appearances throughout the competition, with his lone goal coming in the final.

2011–12 season

Afful did not make his 2011–12 league debut until November 20, once the previous Champions League had concluded. He started against newly-promoted US Monastir, receiving a yellow card in the 24th minute before being replaced by Mohamed Ben Mansour in the 83rd minute of a 3–0 victory for Tunis.[10] Afful went on to make 16 league appearances, starting 11 times and coming off the bench for five. He helped Tunis to a fourth-consecutive league title, beating out CA Bizertin by four points.[11]

Afful appeared for the first time in the 2011 CAF Champions League on July 16, coming off the bench in the Group B opener against MC Alger. He replaced Wajdi Bouazzi in the 75th minute of a 1–1 draw.[12] Afful went on to appear in four of the next five group matches, and appeared in both legs of the semifinals against Al-Hilal. In the 2011 CAF Champions League Final against Wydad Casablanca, Afful came off the bench in the first leg in Casablanca. He came on for Bouazzi in the 90th minute, but saw little action in a 0–0 draw.[13] Afful started the second leg in Radès, playing at right back. In the 22nd minute, he placed a left-footed curler into the upper corner, a goal that gave Tunis a 1–0 aggregate lead. They hung on for a 1–0 victory, claiming the second continental championship in club history.[14] Afful made nine appearances over the duration of the tournament, with his lone goal handing the title to Tunis.

By virtue of winning the Champions League, ES Tunis qualified for the 2011 FIFA Club World Cup and were drawn to face Al Sadd in the quarterfinals. Afful started the match on the bench, coming on at halftime to replace Idrissa Coulibaly.[15] However, Tunis were defeated 2–1 and eliminated from title contention. They instead played in the fifth place match against Monterrey. Afful started against the Mexican side, playing the full 90 minutes in a 3–2 defeat that resulted in a 6th-place finish for ES Tunis.[16]

2012–13 season

Afful's initial three-year contract with ES Tunis expired at the end of June, but he resigned for the club on July 2, 2012, inking a three-year extension with the Blood and Gold through the end of June 2015.[17] With the contract situation resolved, Afful started the season opener on November 10 away to Olympique Béja. In his first appearance since the Champions League final, Afful went the full 90 minutes in a 2–1 victory for Tunis.[18] On November 21, Afful scored for the first time on the season, finding the back of the net against ES Zarzis. His 76th-minute goal provided the winning margin in a 2–1 victory for Tunis to help take the club top of the table in Group A.[19] On December 8, Afful tallied his second goal of the season, this time finishing off a 5–1 win over JS Kairouan. His strike in the 90+2´ was the fifth unanswered goal for Tunis after a fourth minute own goal.[20] Afful did not score again until after the turn of the year, bagging his third of the season on March 31 against Club Africain. He scored in the 8th minute of a 3–1 Tunis victory[21] that helped the Blood and Gold top Group A on goal difference. Afful went on to appear in five of six matches in the championship playoffs, the new system to determine a champion, but saw ES Tunis miss out on a fifth-straight league title by one point to CS Sfaxien. Afful finished the 2012–13 season with three goals in 17 league appearances.

Afful made his debut in the 2012 CAF Champions League on July 8, 2012, assisting on a 20th-minute goal by Youssef Msakni and helping ES Tunis to a 2–0 victory over Sunshine Stars in the first match of Group A.[22] Afful appeared in all four official group stage matches, with Étoile du Sahel being disqualified from the tournament and the results of their games annulled.[23] He also appeared in both legs of the semifinals against TP Mazembe. In the 2012 CAF Champions League Final, Afful started the first leg against Al Ahly, appearing in his third consecutive final. He picked up a yellow card in the 55th minute and was substituted for Mejdi Traoui in the 73rd minute of a 1–1 draw in Alexandria.[24] By virtue of receiving the yellow card, however, Afful was suspended for the second leg because of yellow card accumulation.[25] He watched from the stands as Al Ahly claimed a 2–1 win in Radès to hand Tunis their second loss in a Champions League final in three years.[26] Afful made seven appearances over the duration of the tournament for Tunis.

2013–14 season

Afful made his 2013–14 season debut on September 26, 2015, starting a match away to CA Bizertin. He picked up a yellow card in the 34th minute and was replaced by Youssef Msakni in the 53rd minute as Tunis picked up a 1–0 victory.[27] Afful did not see much involvement in the league early in the season, as he instead played a key role in the Champions League campaign, but he found his first goal of the season on November 3. Against Stade Tunisien, Afful scored in the 30th minute, helping set Tunis on the way to a 5–0 victory before being replaced by Oussama Darragi in the 65th minute.[28] On December 25, Afful scored for the second time on the season, finding the back of the net in the 30th minute against LPS Tozeur. Goals from Idriss Mhirsi and Khaled Gharsallaoui followed in the second half as Tunis picked up a 4–0 victory.[29] On February 15, Afful continued his success against Stade Tunisien, scoring against ST for the second time on the season as part of a 2–0 victory for Tunis. His 18th-minute goal was his first under new coach Ruud Krol.[30] Afful scored his final goal of the year on April 2, coming in a match away to CS Sfaxien. His 53rd-minute goal was the difference in a 1–0 match, although Afful also picked up a yellow card in the 79th minute.[31] Afful made 27 league appearances on the season, his most at the club, and scored a career-high four goals while helping Tunis win their fourth league title in Afful´s five seasons at the club.

In mid-April, Afful was the subject of transfer interest, with reports out of his native Ghana claiming that he was the subject of an offer from Olympique de Marseille.[32] The Ligue 1 club were reportedly looking to sign Afful before the World Cup began, in an effort to keep down the price of the player. Following the domestic season, however, ES Tunis announced that Afful would not leave the club until after the World Cup at the earliest.[33]

Afful made his debut in the 2013 CAF Champions League on July 21, in Group B play against Recreativo do Libolo. He went the full 90 minutes, but saw Aguinaldo score in the 90+4´ to hand ES Tunis a 1–0 defeat.[34] Afful appeared in four of six matches in the group stage as Tunis advanced to the semifinals and were drawn against Orlando Pirates. On October 5, Afful started the first leg in Johannesburg as Tunis hung on for a 0–0 draw.[35] He started the second leg back home in Radès, but was substituted for Ahmed Akaïchi in the 57th minute. The match ended in a 1–1 draw,[36] but Orlando advanced to the final on the away goals rule, denying Tunis a fourth-successive trip to the final. Afful finished the tournament having made six appearances.

Columbus Crew SC

After his contract with EST expired at the end of June, Afful signed for MLS club Columbus Crew SC on July 30, 2015 as a Discovery Signing.[37] He was added to the roster only after securing his visa, and therefore missed Crew SC's first two matches after his signing. Afful made his league and club debut on August 19, a home match against league expansion side New York City FC. He started at right back, playing 60 minutes before being replaced by Hector Jiménez in an eventual 2–2 draw.[38] Afful started his first three games for the club, but went 90 minutes for the first time when Crew SC visited NYCFC on August 29, helping hold the Pigeons to just four shots on target as Columbus picked up a 2–1 victory.[39] Although he missed a trip to FC Dallas due to an international callup,[40] Afful returned on September 12 to notch his first point since arriving in Columbus, helping out Kei Kamara in the 26th minute of a 2–1 victory for Crew SC.[41] Afful made his playoff debut on November 1, starting and going the full 90 minutes as Columbus suffered a 2–1 defeat away to Montreal Impact in the first leg of the conference semifinals.[42] He appeared in all five playoff matches for Crew SC, and started on December 6 in MLS Cup 2015 against Portland Timbers. His 34th minute yellow card was his first with the team, and came in a 2–1 defeat that denied Columbus a second-ever MLS Cup.[43] Afful finished his first season in Columbus having made 14 total appearances, nine in the regular season and five in the playoffs.

Crew SC exercised the contract option on Afful just one day after the MLS Cup loss, meaning he would return to Columbus for the 2016 season.[44] He started the season opener, a Cup rematch against Portland Timbers, going the full 90 minutes in the 2–1 defeat on March 6, 2016.[45] Afful notched his first point on the season against Colorado Rapids on May 14, assisting Cedrick Mabwati in a 1–1 draw.[46] He missed time at the end of May and early June while with Ghana, but returned to the starting lineup in time to tally a second assist, helping out Ola Kamara as part of a 3–2 defeat against Sporting Kansas City on July 3.[47] Ten days later, Afful scored for the first time since moving to MLS, burying a shot in the 54th minute of a 1–1 draw against Toronto FC.[48] He went on to pick up another point at the weekend, assisting Ola Kamara in a 1–1 draw with D.C. United. However, Afful received a straight red card in the 74th minute for a tackle on Marcelo Sarvas.[49] The card would be rescinded by the league two days later.[50] Late in the season, Afful found his goal-scoring touch, scoring a rocket against Chicago Fire on October 1 in a 3–0 victory,[51] and chipping New York Red Bulls goalkeeper Luis Robles in the 80th minute of a 3–2 defeat for Columbus on October 16.[52] However, Crew SC finished ninth in the Eastern Conference and did not qualify for the playoffs. In his first full season in Columbus, Afful tallied three goals and three assists in 30 appearances.

Afful made his 2017 season debut on March 4, starting and going the full 90 minutes in the season-opening 1–1 draw against Chicago Fire.[53] He missed the rematch with the Fire on April 13, however, after slicing his hand while cutting chicken and undergoing surgery for a sliced nerve.[54] On May 31, Afful came off the bench in a 3–0 victory over Seattle Sounders FC, replacing Hector Jiménez in the 69th minute. It marked the first time since moving to Columbus that Afful had been used as a substitute.[55] He returned to the starting lineup away to Colorado Rapids on June 3, marking his 50th appearance for Crew SC in a 2–1 defeat.[56] On June 17, Afful notched his first point on the season, although it came in a 3–1 defeat against Atlanta United FC. He received a secondary assist on a goal by Federico Higuaín in the 26th minute.[57] Afful missed time in late July and early August after suffering a thigh strain on July 22 against Philadelphia Union.[58] He returned midway through the month, but suffered another blow on August 19 against Orlando City in a 1–1 draw. In the 77th minute, Afful elbowed Orlando′s Yoshimar Yotún, drawing a red card after a video review.[59]

International career

Afful plays at international level for his native Ghana. His first cap was earned during the 2008 Africa Cup of Nations, a 4–2 victory over Ivory Coast in the third place match on February 9, 2008.[60]

He captained the Black Stars for the first time in their 3–2 victory over Congo on September 1, 2015.[61]

Afful was part of the Ghana squads for the 2008, 2010, 2013, and 2015 Africa Cup of Nations. He also made two appearances at the 2014 FIFA World Cup.

Career statistics

Club

As of October 6, 2018[62][63]
Club Season League Cup[lower-alpha 1] Continental Other Total
DivisionAppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoals
ES Tunis 2009–10 CLP-1 19200––192
2010–11 CLP-1 17010101–281
2011–12 CLP-1 160009120271
2012–13 CLP-1 1730070–243
2013–14 CLP-1 2740060–334
2014–15 CLP-1 2320062–294
2015–16 CLP-1 000072–72
Total 11911104562016717
Columbus Crew SC 2015 MLS 9000–5[lower-alpha 2]0140
2016 30300––303
2017 24000–5[lower-alpha 2]1291
2018 30200–00302
Total 93500001011036
Career total 212161045612127023
  1. ↑ All appearances in the Tunisian Cup
  2. 1 2 Appearances in the MLS Cup Playoffs

International

As of September 8, 2018[64]
Ghana
YearAppsGoals
200890
200970
201010
201100
201250
2013130
201490
2015130
201680
2017110
201810
Total770

References

  1. ↑ Afful best Player
  2. ↑ News & Events Feyenoord, Kotoko over Afful’s release Archived September 28, 2011, at the Wayback Machine.
  3. ↑ "Afful fails to land Sweden deal". GhanaSoccerNet.com. Archived from the original on August 18, 2009.
  4. ↑ "Esperance sign Afful". Kickoff.com. Retrieved 10 August 2017.
  5. ↑ "ES Tunis 2–4 CA Bizertin". Soccerway.com. Retrieved 10 August 2017.
  6. ↑ "ES Tunis 1–2 Hammam-Sousse". Soccerway.com. Retrieved 10 August 2017.
  7. ↑ "ES Sétif 0–1 ES Tunis". Soccerway.com. Retrieved 10 August 2017.
  8. ↑ "Mazembe move within touching distance". CAFOnline.com. Retrieved 10 August 2017.
  9. ↑ "TP Mazembe claim African Champions League crown again". BBC.co.uk. Retrieved 10 August 2017.
  10. ↑ "ES Tunis 3–0 Monastir". Soccerway.com. Retrieved 10 August 2017.
  11. ↑ "Tunisia Ligue Professionelle 1 2011–12". RSSSF.com. Retrieved 10 August 2017.
  12. ↑ "MC Alger 1–1 ES Tunis". Soccerway.com. Retrieved 10 August 2017.
  13. ↑ "Wydad Casablanca 0–0 ES Tunis". Soccerway.com. Retrieved 10 August 2017.
  14. ↑ "Esperance crowned African champions with win over Wydad". BBC.co.uk. Retrieved 10 August 2017.
  15. ↑ "ES Tunis 1–2 Al Sadd". FIFA.com. Retrieved 10 August 2017.
  16. ↑ "Monterrey 3–2 ES Tunis". FIFA.com. Retrieved 10 August 2017.
  17. ↑ "Harrison Afful signs new Esperance deal". GhanaSoccerNet.com. Retrieved 11 August 2017.
  18. ↑ "Olympique Béja 1–2 ES Tunis". Soccerway.com. Retrieved 11 August 2017.
  19. ↑ "ES Tunis 2–1 ES Zarzis". Soccerway.com. Retrieved 11 August 2017.
  20. ↑ "ES Tunis 5–1 JS Kairouan". Soccerway.com. Retrieved 11 August 2017.
  21. ↑ "ES Tunis 3–1 Club Africain". Soccerway.com. Retrieved 11 August 2017.
  22. ↑ "Sunshine Stars 0–2 ES Tunis". Soccerway.com. Retrieved 11 August 2017.
  23. ↑ "Etoile du Sahel disqualified from Caf Champions League due to pitch invasion". Goal.com. Retrieved 11 August 2017.
  24. ↑ "Al Ahly 1–1 ES Tunis". Soccerway.com. Retrieved 11 August 2017.
  25. ↑ "Afful suspended for Champions League final". GhanaWeb.com. Retrieved 11 August 2017.
  26. ↑ "Harrison Afful and Esperance miss out on CAF Champions League trophy". GhanaSoccerNet.com. Retrieved 11 August 2017.
  27. ↑ "CA Bizertin 0–1 ES Tunis". Soccerway.com. Retrieved 12 August 2017.
  28. ↑ "ES Tunis 5–0 Stade Tunisien". Soccerway.com. Retrieved 12 August 2017.
  29. ↑ "ES Tunis 4–0 LPS Tozeur". Soccerway.com. Retrieved 12 August 2017.
  30. ↑ "Stade Tunisien 0–2 ES Tunis". Soccerway.com. Retrieved 12 August 2017.
  31. ↑ "CS Sfaxien 0–1 ES Tunis". Soccerway.com. Retrieved 12 August 2017.
  32. ↑ "Marseille make offer to sign Harrison Afful". GhanaWeb.com. Retrieved 12 August 2017.
  33. ↑ "Harrison Afful to stay at Esperance". SuperSport.com. Retrieved 12 August 2017.
  34. ↑ "Recreativo do Libolo 1–0 ES Tunis". Soccerway.com. Retrieved 12 August 2017.
  35. ↑ "Orlando Pirates 0–0 ES Tunis". Soccerway.com. Retrieved 12 August 2017.
  36. ↑ "Orlando Pirates 1–1 ES Tunis". Soccerway.com. Retrieved 12 August 2017.
  37. ↑ "Crew SC signs defender Harrison Afful". ColumbusCrewSC.com. Retrieved 3 August 2017.
  38. ↑ "Columbus Crew SC 2–2 New York City FC". MLSSoccer.com. Retrieved 3 August 2017.
  39. ↑ "New York City FC 1–2 Columbus Crew SC". MLSSoccer.com. Retrieved 3 August 2017.
  40. ↑ "Soccer – Crew: National teams could make 8 miss FC Dallas game". Dispatch.com. Retrieved 3 August 2017.
  41. ↑ "Kamara's 5-minute brace lifts Crew SC over Union". ColumbusCrewSC.com. Retrieved 3 August 2017.
  42. ↑ "Montreal Impact 2–1 Columbus Crew SC". MLSSoccer.com. Retrieved 3 August 2017.
  43. ↑ "Columbus Crew SC 1–2 Portland Timbers". MLSSoccer.com. Retrieved 3 August 2017.
  44. ↑ "Columbus Crew SC exercises options, makes cuts, as 2016 already begins to take shape". MassiveReport.com. Retrieved 3 August 2017.
  45. ↑ "Match recap: Timbers 2, Crew SC 1". ColumbusCrewSC.com. Retrieved 4 August 2017.
  46. ↑ "Crew SC earns point against Rapids behind Mabwati strike". ColumbusCrewSC.com. Retrieved 4 August 2017.
  47. ↑ "Kamara records brace in wild match at Kansas City". ColumbusCrewSC.com. Retrieved 4 August 2017.
  48. ↑ "Columbus Crew SC 1–1 Toronto FC". MLSSoccer.com. Retrieved 4 August 2017.
  49. ↑ "Columbus Crew SC 1–1 DC United". MLSSoccer.com. Retrieved 4 August 2017.
  50. ↑ "After review, Crew SC defender Harrison Afful has red card rescinded". MLSSoccer.com. Retrieved 4 August 2017.
  51. ↑ "Afful, Meram & Duka provide fireworks in final home match of 2016". ColumbusCrewSC.com. Retrieved 4 August 2017.
  52. ↑ "Crew SC's comeback falls short at Red Bull Arena". ColumbusCrewSC.com. Retrieved 4 August 2017.
  53. ↑ "Columbus Crew SC 1–1 Chicago Fire". MLSSoccer.com. Retrieved 4 August 2017.
  54. ↑ "I injured myself while preparing chicken – Harrison Afful". MLSSoccer.com. Retrieved 4 August 2017.
  55. ↑ "Columbus Crew SC 3–0 Seattle Sounders FC". MLSSoccer.com. Retrieved 4 August 2017.
  56. ↑ "Match Report: Rapids keep home form rolling after victory over Crew SC". ColoradoRapids.com. Retrieved 4 August 2017.
  57. ↑ "Atlanta United FC 3–1 Columbus Crew SC". MLSSoccer.com. Retrieved 4 August 2017.
  58. ↑ "Crew Cuts: Evaluating Crew SC as final third of 2017 season approaches". Dispatch.com. Retrieved 4 August 2017.
  59. ↑ "Orlando City 1, Columbus Crew SC 1 – 2017 MLS Match Recap". MLSSoccer.com. Retrieved 23 August 2017.
  60. ↑ "Ghana 4–2 Ivory Coast". cafonline50.com. Archived from the original on February 14, 2008.
  61. ↑ "First-time captain Harrison Afful happy to lead Black Stars to win over Congo". Ghana Soccernet. Ghana Soccernet. Retrieved 25 September 2015.
  62. ↑ Harrison Afful at Soccerway
  63. ↑ Harrison Afful at Major League Soccer
  64. ↑ "Afful, Harrison". National Football Teams. Benjamin Strack-Zimmerman. Retrieved 9 June 2012.


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