Ibrahim Sunday

Ibrahim Sunday (born 22 July 1944) is a Ghanaian former professional football player and coach. A midfielder, he played the majority of his career for Ghanaian club Asante Kotoko, and was also a member of the Ghana national team, participating in two Africa Nations Cup tournaments. In 1971, he won the African Footballer of the Year award. He is the first ever African footballer to appear in the Bundesliga.
Club career
Born in Koforidua, Eastern Region, Ghana, Sunday started his career playing for local club Kumasi Asante Kotoko, of which he became the captain. In 1970, he and his club won the African Cup of Champions, predecessor of the CAF Champions League, the first international title obtained by the club.
In 1975, Sunday moved to Werder Bremen in the Bundesliga, where in two seasons he barely had any playing time, appearing in only one league match against Rot-Weiß Essen on 6 June 1976. This, however, made him the first ever African footballer to appear in the Bundesliga.
International career
Sunday was first named to the Ghana national team in 1966, and his first official international tournament was the 1968 African Cup of Nations, where he scored a goal against Laurent Pokou's Ivory Coast in the semifinal as Ghana won 4–3. The Black Stars lost the final to DR Congo.
At the 1970 Nations Cup, there was a rematch of the semifinal from two years before, Ghana again defeated the Ivorians winning 2–1, with Sunday scoring the opening goal. However, they lost in the final again, that time to hosts Sudan.
The 1970 final was Sunday's last Nations Cup match, as Ghana failed to qualify for the 1972, 1974, and 1976 continental tournaments. Ghana then qualified for the 1972 Olympic tournament in Munich, and Sunday was part of the Olympic squad.
Coaching career
As a coach, Sunday managed his former club Asante Kotoko, leading them to their second African Cup of Champions victory in 1983. He also managed Abuakwa Susubiribi and Ashanti Goldfieds of Ghana, FC 105 Libreville of Gabon and Ivorian club Africa Sports of Abidjan, whom he also led to the continental title in 1992.
Honours
Player
Asante Kotoko
Ghana Premier League: 1963–64, 1964–65, 1967, 1968, 1969, 1972, 1975
African Cup of Champions Clubs: 1970
Ghana
African Cup of Nations runner up: 1968, 1970
Individual
African Footballer of the Year: 1971
Manager
Asante Kotoko
African Cup of Champions Clubs: 1983
Africa Sports d'Abidjan
WAFU Club Championship: 1991
African Cup of Champions Clubs: 1992
CAF Super Cup: 1993
Individual
CAF Legends award: 2017
References
External links
Picture of Ibrahim Sunday in Werder Bremen shirt
1944 births
Living people
People from Koforidua
Ghanaian men's footballers
Men's association football midfielders
Ghana men's international footballers
African Footballer of the Year winners
Bundesliga players
Asante Kotoko S.C. players
SV Werder Bremen players
VSK Osterholz-Scharmbeck players
Footballers at the 1968 Summer Olympics
Footballers at the 1972 Summer Olympics
Olympic footballers for Ghana
1968 African Cup of Nations players
1970 African Cup of Nations players
Ghanaian football managers
Asante Kotoko S.C. managers
Ghanaian expatriate men's footballers
Ghanaian expatriate football managers
Ghanaian expatriate sportspeople in Germany
Expatriate men's footballers in Germany