Breaking News: Ghana defender Harrison Afful joins American top-flight side Columbus Crew
Ghana defender Harrison Afful has caused massive shock by signing for American top-flight side Columbus Crew after ending his stay with Tunisian giants Esperance, GHANAsoccernet.com can exclusively reveal.
The 29-year-old sealed the move to the MLS side on Thursday morning after refusing to extend his six-year stay with Esperance where he won the African Champions League.
The details of the deal were not revealed in accordance with the MLS non disclosure policy.
Afful, one of the key players in Ghana's national team, was believed to be on the verge of moving to Europe until the shock revelation of him joining Columbus Crew.
The right-back, who can also play in all the other positions apart from goalkeeping, ended his stay with Esperance last month after refusing to extend his expiring contract.
Afful played for Ghana at the 2014 World Cup and was a stand-out players when the Black Stars held world champions Germany to a 2-2 draw.
Columbus Crew Sporting Director and Head Coach Gregg Berhalter says the arrival of the experienced versatile player will boost the chances of their club.
"Harrison is an experienced, versatile defender whose playing style will fit well into our system," Berhalter said.
"He has established himself in the highly competitive Ghanaian National Team and has participated in both the Africa Cup of Nations and in the World Cup.
"After an extensive search, we're happy to welcome Harrison to Columbus and we feel that he is going to be a great addition to our defensive corps."
Afful will officially be added to the Black & Gold roster pending receipt of his International Transfer Certificate and P-1 Visa.
In 2011, he captured African club soccer's biggest crown by winning the CAF Champions League with ES Tunis.
In the two-legged final against Wydad Casablanca from Morocco, he scored the lone goal of the series in the 21st minute of the second match, giving the Tunisian club the title and passage into the 2011 FIFA Club World Cup in Japan.
He made two appearances in that tournament, against Al-Sadd and Monterrey.
Internationally, he has made 53 caps for Ghana, registering five assists in total. The defender made his debut for the Black Stars on February 9, 2008 in that year's Africa Cup of Nations.
He has since gone on to appear in 23 Africa Cup of Nations matches, 17 FIFA World Cup qualification matches, 11 international friendlies, and two matches at the 2014 FIFA World Cup in Brazil, where he notched an assist in a 2-2 draw against eventual champions Germany in the Group Stage.
Prior to joining ES Tunis, Afful was a product of the Fetteh Feyenoord Academy in Ghana, now called the West African Football Academy. He spent time on-loan with Ghanaian club Asante Kotoko.
The Ghana defender could make his debut for Crew when they return to MLS regular-season action on Saturday, August 1 with a contest at Orlando City.