Afriyie Acquah ( born 5 January 1992) is a Ghanaian professional footballer who plays as a midfielder for Italian club Empoli and the Ghana national team.
Born in Sunyani, Acquah began his career in Glentoran Football Academy in Sunyani, Ghana, which established by Christopher Forsythe an Irish National from Sunyani.
During his Glentoran's career, Acquah was awarded as "Best Ghanaian midfielder's Under-14".
He was later transferred to Bechem United as the Northern Irish club was unable to sign him, due to work permit issues, despite travelling with Christopher Forsythe to Belfast to train with the first team. In April 2009, he played for Bechem United against Italian club Empoli.
On 1 February 2010, Palermo signed Acquah from D.C. United of Ghana, choosing number 94 shirt, Acquah made his Palermo debut, coming on as a substitute for Giulio Migliaccio in the 32nd minutes, in 4-2 loss against Fiorentina on 13 February 2011.
After making four appearance by the start of April, Acquah signed a five-year contract, keeping him until 2016.
On 16 July 2012, Palermo announced to have loaned Acquah to Serie A rivals Parma for €100,000; the agreement also includes an option for Parma to acquire half of the player's transfer rights by the end of the season.
In January 2013 moved to German Bundesliga club Hoffenheim for €2.5 million fee on a four-year deal but he was not given any opportunity to play a single match until the end of the 2012–13 season.
In July 2013, he returned to Parma on a season-long loan deal and won his place back, finishing 27 league appearances in the 2013–14 season. During the season, Acquah scored his first professional goal of his career, in a 4-2 loss against Roma on 2 April 2014. Subsequently, the loan was extended for another year.
In February 2015, his loan spell at Parma was terminated early and he moved to fellow Serie A side Sampdoria, again on loan. He made his Sampdoria debut, playing 90 minutes, in a 2–1 loss against Chievo.
On 19 June 2015, he was signed by Torino on a four-year contract. On 17 August 2018, Acquah signed with Serie A team Empoli.
On 26 February 2012, Acquah was called up to the Ghana squad to face Chile. Acquah made his senior Ghana debut against Chile on 29 February 2012 at the PPL Park in Chester, Pennsylvania, USA. On 13 October 2012, in Civo Stadium, Lilongwe he scored a goal for Ghana against Malawi.
In May 2014, Acquah was named in a provisional 26-man squad in the FIFA World Cup by Ghana manager James Kwesi Appiah. On 2 June 2014, Acquah was selected in Ghana's squad for the 2014 tournament. Acquah made his World Cup debut, coming on as a substitute for Mohammed Rabiu in the 76th minutes, in a 2–1 loss against Portugal.
Afriyie Acquah has been capped 28 times, scoring a single goal.
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