The Ghana Premier League has witnessed some scintillating performance from the two most Glamourous clubs in the country, Hearts of Oak and Asante Kotoko.
Since the year 2000 fans have been thrilled with a quality display of play from the gallant players from both sides.
Their rivalry can be compared to any other biggest rivalry in World football. Fans look anxiously to see the date they will play their bitterest rival whenever the GHPL fixture is released.
The two giants have annexed a combined 44 GPL titles. Kotoko 24 while Heart of Oak 20.
Below we look at the combined XI from both sides.
(GK) Sammy Adjei, Aziz Ansah, Dan Quaye, Issah Ahmed, Amankwah Mireku, Ablordey Godwin, Stephen Oduro, Yussif Chibsah, Ishmael Addo, Emmanuel Osei Kuffour, Charles Taylor
Special Mentions:
Of course, there are several others who shone for Kotoko and Hearts yet who narrowly miss out on the final list, among them the likes of Goalkeeper George Owu, Illiasu Shilla, Harrison Afful, Godfred Yeboah, Prince Tagoe, Michael Osei, Ahmed Toure, Daniel Coleman, Lawrence Adjah-Tetteh, Jacob Nettey, Don Bortey, Edward Agyeman-Duah, Eric Bekoe, all of whom have contributed in some way to spicing the Kotoko-Hearts rivalry.
Coach: Sir Cecil Jones Attuquayefio - The choice of Sir Cecil Jones Attuquayefio as coach of this finely assembled team is a no-brainer, really. The best coach to ever grace the Ghana Premier League. He was the brain behind Hearts of Oak success in the 2000s. As brilliant a tactical mastermind as there ever was.
Sammy Adjei: He gets the nod over George Owu and Eric Nii Baah. Adjei in his prime was one of the safest pair of hands in the country. He was an integral member of the 1999 squad that won the CAF Champions League and as well won the "virgin cup" over bitterest rival Kotoko.
Defense
Aziz Ansah
Talk of any full back in the last 2 decades and he stands as one of the best among them.
Aziz was voted the Sports Writers Association of Ghana (SWAG) Best Footballer in 2003 when he was the top scorer for Kotoko.
Amankwah Mireku
Amankwah began his career with Hearts and was the team captain. He had a ten-year stint with the club and was instrumental in the club's 1999/2002 Champions league triumph.
Dan QuayeÂ
Quaye, a member of the Black Stars squad that qualified the country to and represented it at the 2006 World Cup, has had a career that alternated between Hearts and a number of Chinese clubs yet his initial eight-year experience with the capital side proved the most rewarding
Issah AhmedÂ
A rock at the back for the Porcupine Warriors. His cultured defensive display for the Reds was top notch.
Midfield:
Godwin Ablordey
A midfield marshall. An excellent dispatch of spot kicks.
Stephen OduroÂ
The final piece in our three-man strong midfield is the man known by the Kumasi fans as 'Tico Tico', Kotoko's one-time pocket-sized dynamo and Xavi Hernandez prototype, capable of altering the course of the diciest games in more ways than his petit stature could suggest, whether via one of his clever pinpoint passes, a trademark set piece, blinding pace and dribbling, or whichever skill he opts to pull from his well-stocked set.
Yussif Chibsah
His short stint with the Reds will liveth long in the minds of the faithfuls.
Forward: Emmanuel Osei Kuffuor, Ishmael and Charles Taylor
The attacking trio of Emmanuel Osei, Ishmael Addo and Charles Taylor was a delight to watch in the year 2000s. The trio conquered African with their brilliant display in their hay days. Their attacking prowess can be compared with Real Madrid' then front 3 (Bale, Benzema and Ronaldo, BBC) and Barca then attacking trio of Messi, Suarez and Neymar.
Read also: African Club Ranking 2019: Kotoko leap up as Hearts drop in latest release