Owusu Afriyie Martin (born 1 September 1980) is a Ghanaian former 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 lea ...

. Nicknamed Arriki, he played as a

midfielder In the sport of association football, a midfielder takes an Glossary of association football terms#O, outfield position primarily in the middle of the pitch. Midfielders may play an exclusively defensive role, breaking up attacks, and are in t ...

in Ghana, Spain, Portugal, Austria, and England.

Career

Born in

Accra Accra (; or ''Gaga''; ; Ewe: Gɛ; ) is the capital and largest city of Ghana, located on the southern coast at the Gulf of Guinea, which is part of the Atlantic Ocean. As of 2021 census, the Accra Metropolitan District, , had a population of ...

, Afriyie began his career with Real Sportive, before earning a move to Spanish side

Badajoz Badajoz is the capital of the Province of Badajoz in the autonomous communities of Spain, autonomous community of Extremadura, Spain. It is situated close to the Portugal, Portuguese Portugal–Spain border, border, on the left bank of the river ...

after just a season. His performances ensured a move to bigger club

Málaga Málaga (; ) is a Municipalities in Spain, municipality of Spain, capital of the Province of Málaga, in the Autonomous communities of Spain, autonomous community of Andalusia. With a population of 591,637 in 2024, it is the second-most populo ...

, where he spent a season on loan at Portuguese club Chaves. In 2001 Arriky returned to Ghana to spend two seasons with Hearts of Oak, before spending a further two seasons in Austria with Feldkirchen. Short spells in Spain with Linares and

Melilla Melilla (, ; ) is an autonomous city of Spain on the North African coast. It lies on the eastern side of the Cape Three Forks, bordering Morocco and facing the Mediterranean Sea. It has an area of . It was part of the Province of Málaga un ...

, and in England with

Enfield Town Enfield is a large town in north London, England, north of Charing Cross. It had a population of 333,587 in 2021. It includes the areas of Botany Bay, Brimsdown, Bulls Cross, Bullsmoor, Bush Hill Park, Clay Hill, Crews Hill, Enfield Hig ...

, preceded a final return to Hearts of Oak, where he finished his career in 2007.

References

External links

FIFAGhanaWeb.com
1980 births Living people Ghanaian men's footballers Ghana men's under-20 international footballers Expatriate men's footballers in Spain Expatriate men's footballers in Portugal Expatriate men's footballers in Austria Ghanaian expatriate men's footballers CD Badajoz players Málaga CF players CD Linares players UD Melilla footballers G.D. Chaves players Accra Hearts of Oak S.C. players Enfield Town F.C. players Ghanaian expatriate sportspeople in Portugal Ghanaian expatriate sportspeople in Austria Real Sportive players Ghanaian expatriate sportspeople in Spain Alumni of the Accra Academy Men's association football midfielders Segunda División players Segunda División B players 21st-century Ghanaian sportsmen Expatriate men's footballers in England {{Ghana-footy-midfielder-stub