Player profile

At the age of just 16 he was a regular in Ghana’s under-20 team and went on to play for the side that finished runners-up to Argentina in the 2001 Fifa World Youth Championships.

His performances naturally attracted the attention of some of Europe’s biggest clubs and, after a trial at Manchester United did not work out, he signed for Italian side Udinese. After five seasons in Serie A he moved to Portsmouth in 2007 for a then club record fee of about £7m. He helped Pompey to FA Cup success in his one and only season, in which he was an ever-present, before switching back to Italy and signing for Inter for £12.7m.

He has since won successive league titles and this season’s Champions League. In doing the latter he became the third Ghanaian to lift the trophy following Abedi Pele with Marseille and Sami Kuffour with Bayern Munich.

A feisty character, he has had numerous run-ins with the Ghanaian FA during his international career. He was sent home from the 2004 Olympics and was also left out of the 2010 Africa Cup of Nations squad.

He was recalled to the team in March and scored in a friendly with Bosnia-Herzegovina.