Godwin Antwi Birago (born 7 June 1988) is a professional
footballer
A football player or footballer is a sportsperson who plays one of the different types of football. The main types of football are association football, American football, Canadian football, Australian rules football, Gaelic football, rugby ...
who can play at either
centre-back
In the sport of association football, a defender is an outfield position whose primary role is to stop attacks during the game and prevent the opposition from scoring.
Centre-backs are usually positioned in pairs, with one full-back on either s ...
or as a
central midfielder
A midfielder is an outfield position in association football.
Midfielders may play an exclusively defensive role, breaking up attacks, and are in that case known as defensive midfielders. As central midfielders often go across boundarie ...
. Born in Ghana, he is a youth international for Spain.
Club career
Early career
Antwi was born in
Kumasi
Kumasi (historically spelled Comassie or Coomassie, usually spelled Kumase in Twi) is a city in the Ashanti Region, and is among the largest metropolitan areas in Ghana. Kumasi is located in a rain forest region near Lake Bosomtwe, and is t ...
, Ghana. When he was 14 years old, he moved to Spain and lived there for three years. He initially played
street soccer
The terms street football and street soccer (American and Canadian English) encompass a number of informal varieties of association football. These informal pick up games do not necessarily follow the requirements of a formal game of footbal ...
, before he entered the youth setup of Spanish club
Real Zaragoza
Real Zaragoza, S.A.D. (), commonly referred to as Zaragoza, is a football club based in Zaragoza, Aragon, Spain, that currently competes in the Segunda División, the second tier of the Spanish league system. Zaragoza holds its home games at La ...
for 1 year. He eventually obtained a Spanish passport.
Liverpool
At 17 years of age, he was spotted by
Paco Herrera
Francisco "Paco" Herrera Lorenzo (born 2 December 1953) is a Spanish retired footballer who played as a midfielder, and is a manager.
His managerial career of over a quarter of a century was spent mostly in Segunda División, where he led ...
, then head scout of Liverpool.
He watched Liverpool beat
Chelsea
Chelsea or Chelsey may refer to:
Places Australia
* Chelsea, Victoria
Canada
* Chelsea, Nova Scotia
* Chelsea, Quebec
United Kingdom
* Chelsea, London, an area of London, bounded to the south by the River Thames
** Chelsea (UK Parliament const ...
home at
Anfield
Anfield is a football stadium in Anfield, Liverpool, Merseyside, England, which has a seating capacity of 53,394, making it the seventh largest football stadium in England. It has been the home of Liverpool F.C. since their formation in 189 ...
in the semi-final of the 2005
UEFA Champions League
The UEFA Champions League (abbreviated as UCL, or sometimes, UEFA CL) is an annual club football competition organised by the Union of European Football Associations (UEFA) and contested by top-division European clubs, deciding the competi ...
. The experience of hearing the Anfield crowd left a great impression on him, and he expressed a desire to reach the status of former African Liverpool player,
Guinean international striker
Titi Camara
Aboubacar Sidiki "Titi" Camara (born 17 November 1972) is a Guinean former professional footballer who played as a striker. He was also the coach of the Guinean national team, which he captained and played for. He was also the Guinea sports mi ...
.
He joined Liverpool, who had newly been crowned the UEFA Champions League winners, when Liverpool manager
Rafael Benítez
Rafael Benítez Maudes (born 16 April 1960) is a Spanish professional football manager and former player who most recently managed club Everton.
Benítez joined Real Madrid's coaching staff at the age of 26, going on to work as the under- ...
offered him a contract in August 2005.
He started his Liverpool career, playing in the reserve team during the
2005–06 season. Due to a
striker shortage, he initially played up front. In his usual defending position, he helped Liverpool win the 2006
FA Youth Cup
The Football Association Youth Challenge Cup is an English football competition run by The Football Association for under-18 sides. Only those players between the age of 15 and 18 on 31 August of the current season are eligible to take part. I ...
, beating
Manchester City
Manchester () is a city in Greater Manchester, England. It had a population of 552,000 in 2021. It is bordered by the Cheshire Plain to the south, the Pennines to the north and east, and the neighbouring city of Salford to the west. The two ...
in the final.
On 8 November 2006, Antwi was called up by the Under-19 Youth setup of the
Spain national team to train with them. The call-up was possible due to his Spanish passport. Despite the Spain Under-19 team call-up, Antwi could freely choose which country to represent at a senior level before he turned 21 years old.
On 10 January 2007, Antwi was named
captain
Captain is a title, an appellative for the commanding officer of a military unit; the supreme leader of a navy ship, merchant ship, aeroplane, spacecraft, or other vessel; or the commander of a port, fire or police department, election precinct, e ...
of the Liverpool Reserves for the first time, and the 18-year-old led by example at the back against the experienced
Neil Shipperley
Neil Jason Shipperley (born 30 October 1974) is an English football manager and former professional player who played as a forward.
He notably played in the Premier League for Chelsea, Southampton, Crystal Palace, Nottingham Forest and Sh ...
of
Sheffield United
Sheffield United Football Club is a professional football club in Sheffield, South Yorkshire, England, which compete in the . They are nicknamed "the Blades" due to Sheffield's history of cutlery production. The team have played home games a ...
. On 13 March, it was announced that he had joined
Accrington Stanley
Accrington Stanley Football Club is a professional association football club based in Accrington, Lancashire, England. The club competes in League One, the third tier of the English football league system. They have spent their complete histor ...
on a month's loan.
He remained at Stanley until the end of the season.
Antwi joined
Hartlepool United
Hartlepool United Football Club is a professional association football club based in Hartlepool, County Durham, England. The team competes in League Two, the fourth tier of the English football league system.
They were founded in 1908 as Hartl ...
on a season-long loan for the
2007–08 season on 29 June 2007. He scored his first goal for Hartlepool against Doncaster on 18 August 2007.
In July 2008 he joined
Tranmere Rovers
Tranmere Rovers Football Club is a professional association football club based in Birkenhead, Merseyside, England. The team compete in , the fourth tier of the English football league system. Founded in 1884 as Belmont Football Club, they adop ...
on loan until January 2009. He returned to
Anfield
Anfield is a football stadium in Anfield, Liverpool, Merseyside, England, which has a seating capacity of 53,394, making it the seventh largest football stadium in England. It has been the home of Liverpool F.C. since their formation in 189 ...
, only to be loaned out again in February 2009, this time to
League One
The English Football League One (often referred to as League One for short or Sky Bet League One for sponsorship purposes, and known as the Football League One from 2004 until 2016) is the second-highest division of the English Football Leag ...
side
Hereford United
Hereford United Football Club was an association football club based in Hereford, England. They played at Edgar Street for their entire history. They were nicknamed 'The Whites' or 'The Lilywhites', after their predominantly white kit, or 'Th ...
, and made his debut in their 2–0 home win over
Leeds United
Leeds United Football Club is a professional football club based in Leeds, West Yorkshire in England. The club competes in the Premier League, the highest level of England's football league system, and plays its home matches at Elland Road ...
.
Antwi was released by Liverpool FC on 16 June 2009.
Vejle BK
On 23 December Antwi signed a half-year-long contract with Danish club
Vejle BK
Vejle Boldklub is a Danish professional football club based in Vejle in Jutland. Formed in 1891, the club is one of the most successful clubs in Danish football history, having won the Danish championship five times and the Danish cup title six ...
.
Bodø/Glimt
After his contract with Vejle expired, Antwi signed a half-year contract with Norwegian First Division side
Bodø/Glimt on 30 July 2013. He made his debut in the 2–0 victory against
Sandefjord
Sandefjord () is a city and the most populous municipality in Vestfold og Telemark county, Norway. The municipality of Sandefjord was established on 1 January 1838. The municipality of Sandar was merged into Sandefjord on 1 January 1969. On 1 ...
.
Sisaket FC
Antwi signed for
Sisaket
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of the
Thai Premier League
The Thai League 1 ( th, ไทยลีก 1), often referred to as T1, is the top level of the Thai football league system. Contested by 16 clubs, it operates on a system of promotion and relegation with Thai League 2. Seasons run from Augu ...
on 23 February 2014. He made his debut in the 0–1 loss against
Osotspa Saraburi F.C.
Super Power Samut Prakan Football Club ( th, สโมสรฟุตบอลซุปเปอร์พาวเวอร์ สมุทรปราการ) was a Thai football club based in Samut Prakan province. This club played in the ...
On 15 October 2014 Antwi scored his first goal in
Thai Premier League
The Thai League 1 ( th, ไทยลีก 1), often referred to as T1, is the top level of the Thai football league system. Contested by 16 clubs, it operates on a system of promotion and relegation with Thai League 2. Seasons run from Augu ...
in 1–3 loss against
Buriram United
Buriram United Football Club ( th, สโมสรฟุตบอลบุรีรัมย์ ยูไนเต็ด) is a professional football club based in Buriram, Thailand. The club has played at the top level of Thai football for the ...
.
DRB-Hicom FC
Despite Sisaket FC's offer to extend his contract, Antwi made a decision to sign with a
Malaysia Premier League
The Malaysia Premier League ( ms, Liga Premier) was the second-tier professional football league in Malaysia. The league replaced the former second-tier league, Liga Perdana 2 in the Malaysian football league system.
The Malaysia Premier Leagu ...
side,
DRB-Hicom F.C.
DRB-HICOM Football Club is a football club established to compete in Malaysia football league. The team played in the Malaysia Premier League (the second tier of the country's professional league - Liga M) since 2010 until 2016 before they wi ...
He continues to be a very influential figure in the club, providing his team a rock-solid defence and much needed leadership at the back.
Melaka United
However, after a year and a half playing,
DRB-Hicom F.C.
DRB-HICOM Football Club is a football club established to compete in Malaysia football league. The team played in the Malaysia Premier League (the second tier of the country's professional league - Liga M) since 2010 until 2016 before they wi ...
announced they will defunct the senior team for financial reason. Released as a free agent, it didn't take too long for Antwi to find a new club following a strong performance in
Malaysia Premier League
The Malaysia Premier League ( ms, Liga Premier) was the second-tier professional football league in Malaysia. The league replaced the former second-tier league, Liga Perdana 2 in the Malaysian football league system.
The Malaysia Premier Leagu ...
2016 season. He was immediately signed by
Melaka United F.C.
Melaka United Football Club () was a defunct Malaysian professional Association football, football club based in Malacca that competes in the Malaysia Super League. They were owned by Kenteam Sdn Bhd which is one of nitrile glove producer in Ma ...
following their promotion to
Malaysia Super League
The Malaysia Super League ( ms, Liga Super Malaysia) is the men's top professional football division of the Malaysian football league system. Administered by the Football Malaysia Limited Liability Partnership (FMLLP), now known as the Malay ...
.
Honours
Club
Liverpool Youth
*
FA Youth Cup
The Football Association Youth Challenge Cup is an English football competition run by The Football Association for under-18 sides. Only those players between the age of 15 and 18 on 31 August of the current season are eligible to take part. I ...
:
2005–06
Bodø/Glimt
*
Norwegian First Division
The Norwegian First Division, also called 1. divisjon and OBOS-ligaen (named sponsor is property developer OBOS), is the second-highest level of the Norwegian football league system. Each year, the top finishing teams in the 1. divisjon are ...
:
2013
File:2013 Events Collage V2.png, From left, clockwise: Edward Snowden becomes internationally famous for leaking classified NSA wiretapping information; Typhoon Haiyan kills over 6,000 in the Philippines and Southeast Asia; The Dhaka garment ...
References
External links
*
Antwi’s Official Hartlepool United F.C. profileLiverpool FC profileVital Hartlepool Profile: Godwin AntwiVejle Boldklub Kolding profile: Godwin Antwi
{{DEFAULTSORT:Antwi, Godwin
1988 births
Living people
Footballers from Kumasi
Spanish footballers
Spain youth international footballers
Ghanaian footballers
Spanish expatriate footballers
Spanish people of Ghanaian descent
Liverpool F.C. players
Accrington Stanley F.C. players
Hartlepool United F.C. players
Tranmere Rovers F.C. players
Hereford United F.C. players
English Football League players
Asante Kotoko S.C. players
Vejle Boldklub players
Vejle Boldklub Kolding players
FK Bodø/Glimt players
Godwin Antwi
Norwegian First Division players
Expatriate footballers in England
Spanish expatriate sportspeople in England
Expatriate men's footballers in Denmark
Expatriate footballers in Norway
Expatriate footballers in Thailand
Association football central defenders
Melaka United F.C. players
Expatriate footballers in Malaysia
Spanish expatriate sportspeople in Denmark
Spanish expatriate sportspeople in Norway
Spanish expatriate sportspeople in Thailand
Spanish expatriate sportspeople in Malaysia