Anthony Obodai Profile

Anthony Obodai joined Ajax in the summer of 2001 from Liberty FC. Obodai was part of the memorable Young Ajax crop that won the 2002 reserves championship in The Netherlands and made it to the semi-final of the 'big' Amstel Cup. After one season in Amsterdam the player was loaned out to Belgian First Class side Germinal Beerschot Antwerp. Ajax had a partnership with 'GBA' at the time, although the Amsterdammers were about to sell their majority's stake in the club when Obodai joined them. Obodai played 29 league games for 'GBA'. He scored two goals.

Obodai returned to Ajax after one season and made his first team début on 23 November 2003 in the Eredivisie home game against SC Heerenveen. In the following two seasons he had 21 Eredivisie appearances for Ajax in total, mostly as a substitute.

At the start of the 2005-06 season the midfielder was informed by head-coach Danny Blind that he was not going to see much Ajax-1 action and that he was free to look out for a new club. He ended up at Sparta Rotterdam. In January 2007, he handed in a transfer request after being expelled from sparta's training ground by coach Wiljan Vloet following a furious row over team selection. He played in 47 games for Sparta Rotterdam. He joined struggling side Waalwijk on a three-and-a-half-year contract

National team

Was part of the Ghana squad which reached the final of the FIFA World Youth Championship in 2001 before losing to Argentina in front of 32,000 spectators.

Club

Recruited by the AFC Ajax in 1999, Obodai was part of the reserve side which won their championship in 2001/02 in addition to reaching the semi-final of the senior Dutch Cup.

2002/03: Obodai spent the campaign on loan at KFC Germinal Beerschot Antwerpen, where he scored twice in 29 league appearances to earn a move back to Ajax.

Did you know? Obodai played in the UEFA/CAF Meridian Cup for Ghana in 1999.