Ghana national under-20 football team


Ghana national U-20 football team known as the Black Satellites, is considered to be the feeder team for the Ghana national football team. They are the former FIFA U-20 World Cup Champions and African Youth Champions, they have also been a three-time African Champion in 1995, 1999, 2009 and a two-time Runner-up at the FIFA World Youth Championship in 1993, 2001 and finished third in 2013. Ghana has participated in only six of the past 19 World Cup events starting with their first in Australia 1993 where they to Brazil in Sydney and in Argentina 2001 where they to Argentina in Buenos Aires. Incredibly, in 32 FIFA World Cup matches, Ghana has not lost a game in regulation below the Semi Final level of the FIFA U20 World Cup.
They however failed to qualify for 3 consecutive events in UAE 2003, Netherlands 2005 and Canada 2007 until they made the Egypt 2009 Tournament.
They won the 2009 FIFA U-20 World Cup in the Cairo International Stadium, Cairo, Egypt after defeating Brazil when the match ended After Extra Time. The first time an African country won the FIFA U-20 World Cup Championship.

Superb young players

The Black Satellites reached the FIFA U-20 World Cup final in their 1st appearance in , catching many teams on the hop with their lightning changes of pace. In fact, nine of the 22 players in the "Black Satellites'" squad had lifted the FIFA U-17 World Championship two years earlier, so their performance could only really be considered a half-surprise. Still they were a joy to watch: enterprising and unpredictable. They repeated the feat in 2001 succumbing to Tournament Hosts Argentina in the Final. Previously in 1997, they had on a golden goal to Uruguay in Extra Time of the World Cup Semi Final. In 1999 eventual Champions Spain eliminated Ghana in the Quarter Final on sudden death penalty kicks after a game.
What makes Ghana's footballers so dominant in their age group?
FIFA Magazine asked Otto Pfister. Football is not simply the most popular sport in this part of Africa, it is an absolute religion, he said. This is the way the game is regarded in Ghana. Young boys here think about football 24 hours a day and play for at least eight – whether on clay, rough fields or dusty streets. They develop their skills naturally, without any specific training, and end up with superb technique and ability on the ball. They are also fast and tricky, and can feint well with their bodies. Africa and South America have by far the best young footballers in the world – on a technical level they are superb. And technique is what it takes to make a good player.
What else goes towards making Ghana so strong? Otto Pfister continues; In Africa there is often only one way for many young lads to escape from poverty and to make their way up the social scale – football. Youngsters want to become stars and to play in a top European league. That is their main aim and they will do anything to achieve it. Let me give you an example: While I was coaching in Ghana I once told my team to be ready for training at three o'clock in the morning. At half past two they were all assembled and ready to go. They want to learn and they want to play for the national team. They know that in their country a national team player is a hero and enjoys a level of prestige that is not comparable to that in Europe. Another positive point for young players in Ghana is that there are many good coaches in the country who help develop the available talent and above all want to let them play. This policy pays off. Today, many Ghanaian youngsters are in G14 Club Academies in Europe.

Competitive Record

FIFA World Youth Championship Record

YearRoundGPWD*LGSGAGD
1977Did not participate------
1979Did not participate------
1981Did not participate------
1983Withdrew------
1985Did not qualify------
1987Disqualified------
1989Did not qualify------
1991Did not qualify------
1993Runners-up6321116+5
1995Did not qualify------
1997Semi finals7412128+4
1999Quarter finals532*082+6
2001Runners-up751185+3
2003Did not qualify------
2005Did not qualify------
2007Did not qualify------
2009Champions752*0168+8
2011Did not qualify------
2013Third Place74031612+4
2015Round of 16421156-1
2017Did not qualify------
2019Did not qualify------
2021To be determined------
Total7/234326987647+29

*Denote draws including the 2009 Final match decided on penalty kicks v Brazil when the match ended After Extra Time, and the 1999 Quarter-Final match decided on penalty kicks v Spain .
FIFA U20 World Cup Record by team
Ghana versusGPWD*LGFGAGD
311*1330
210113-2
2101330
302156-1
220052+3
110030+3
220061+5
1010110
220051+4
110030+3
1010220
110021+1
1010110
110030+3
110020+2
201*112-1
110121+1
110010+1
301225-3
110010+1
110020+2
110021+1
110032+1
110021+1
110032+1
110043+1
110030+3
Total39248*87141+30

*Denote draws including the 2009 Final match decided on penalty kicks v Brazil when the match ended After Extra Time, and the 1999 Quarter-Final match decided on penalty kicks v Spain .
;FIFA U20 World Cup Record:
FIFA U20 World Cup RecordGPWDLGFGAGD
World Cup Finals39248*87141+30
Africa U20 Quals7142151410651+55
U20 Total1106623*2117792+85

Team honours and awards

TournamentFIFA Golden Ball AwardPlayer
2009Gold Ball Award Dominic Adiyiah
2013Bronze Ball Award Clifford Aboagye

TournamentFIFA Golden Shoe Award
2009 Dominic Adiyiah
2013 Ebenezer Assifuah

Current squad

Head coach: Jimmy Cobblah

Previous squads

The following list consist of previous Ghana U-20 national team players who have won or were influential at the FIFA U-20 World Cup with the Ghana U-20 national team or the FIFA U-17 World Cup with the Ghana U-17 national team, and those who were part of the Ghana U-23 national team that won the Bronze medal at the 1992 Summer Olympics. The list also includes the players who have graduated from the Ghana U-20 national team and gone on to represent the senior Ghana national team at the FIFA World Cup or African Cup of Nations:

Former (2007) U-20 squad

Squad for the Toulon Tournament in France from 31–9 May June 2007.
This team was eliminated 4-3 on penalty kicks by Burkina Faso after a 1-1 aggregate tie in the 2007 FIFA U-20 World Cup African Qualifiers on 22 October 2006.

2009 FIFA U-20 World Cup World Cup Winner Squad

Head coach: Sellas Tetteh

Footnotes