What happened to Leeds United's Tony Yeboah? | OneFootball

Tony Yeboah is synonymous with most Premier League fans, especially if the 1990s was your era. Saturday marks the 28th anniversary of the Ghanian's thunderous strike against Wimbledon in the sunshine of South London.

However, the Premier League possessed some exciting talent on the field, with players such as Jurgen Klinsmann, Paulo DI Canio and Eric Cantona springing to mind. Alongside these mavericks, came the cult heroes, Juninho, Duncan Ferguson, and Julian Dicks the list is endless.

The talk of 'folk heroes' takes us to another, Tony Yeboah, a player who shot to stardom with a sumptuous strike against Liverpool in the early part of the 1995-96 season. So, you may be thinking what happened to the great Ghanaian? Hold on tight, you are about to find out. All stats in this article have been taken from TransferMarkt - with figures converted to Pounds (£) from Euros (€) for accuracy.

Early career

Yeboah was born in Kumasi, Ghana. He quickly found his love for football playing for Asante Kotoko at a youth level, before moving to Cornerstone FC before transferring to Okawau United. However, it was in Europe where the Ghanaian flourished. After a relatively slow first year for Yeboah who did contribute with an underwhelming tally of nine goals in the German second division (2. Bundesliga), he then improved vastly in his second term at FC Saarbrucken scoring an impressive 17 times for the ‘Die Molschder’.

His impressive form in the following season earned him a move to German Giants, Eintracht Frankfurt. Unfortunately, the Frankfurt supporters did not to the striker straight away, reportedly being booed by a section due to him being the first black player ever signed.

When questioned on this Yeboah told Sky Sports, "I wanted to be like John Barnes, that is what I was trying to do. I was wearing the No 10 jersey, every time I saw John Barnes do something on the pitch, I wanted to do the same thing, and this was when I was in Ghana."

Similar to his idol, Yeboah fought back against this adversity, going on to win successive golden boots before eventually captaining the side as the first-ever Bundesliga captain of African descent.

Whatever the reason for the dislike, Yeboah overcame the issues, going on to score 15 times during his second campaign at the club. Overall, his time at ‘Die Adler’ was a fruitful one, contributing to 89 goals in just 156 appearances not to mention his 28 assists.

Leeds United success

January 1995 brought change for Yeboah when he was loaned to Premier League outfit, Leeds United, for a loan fee of £867,000, a hefty fee for a loan at the time. The centre-forward impressed the Elland Road faithful with 12 goals in 18 appearances warranting a permanent transfer that summer.

Yeboah signed for Leeds United for a fee of £2.8 million, and that summer became a defining one, scoring a goal against Liverpool that has been played endlessly on highlight reels throughout the years. A goal only describable as a rocket, the ball was played aerially into a teammate who sent a cushioned header towards Yeboah, who seemingly without hesitation, smashes the ball on the volley past a helpless David James. Elland Road erupted and rightfully so. When questioned about the strike he told the Yorkshire Post, “In that moment everything just happened, you ask me what was going through my head when I hit the ball and I can’t answer… a special moment.”

Yeboah was not done with the screamers just yet though, fans may recall another sensational strike in a 4-2 win against Wimbledon just weeks later. This time, after a skewed header by a Wimbledon defender, the Ghanaian controlled the ball with his chest and then knee, before a clever fake shot to send the defender the other way. Then came the finish, and what a finish it was. The Ghanian slapped the ball past the goalkeeper, smashing off the crossbar in the process. Another moment to cement his status as a Premier League icon and cult hero in West Yorkshire, winning the goal of the season in the process.

When questioned about his favourite goal in an interview with Leeds United the Ghanaian stated, “Everyone asks me this question haha! To be honest they were both fantastic goals but my favourite is the goal against Liverpool. Before the game, there was a lot of tension and before I came to England I was a Liverpool fan, so it was amazing to play against them. Playing against John Barnes and Ian Rush I thought I had to do something special, so for me, that particular goal was something special.”

When manager George Graham arrived at the club, a clash of personalities was alleged, also limiting the striker's game time. Overall, his stint at Leeds was a short one playing 59 times for the club registering an impressive 30 goals, a player fondly remembered by fans and a player who clearly loved Leeds.

What happened next?

The Ghana international left Leeds for pastures new in the summer of 1997, arriving at German club Hamburger SV for a reported fee of £1.87 million. His first season back in Germany was a disappointing one, scoring just three times in a dreadful campaign. However, his fortunes did improve the following year netting 14 times in a much better showing.

By this time, Yeboah was approaching the twilight of his career, only appearing 14 times during the 2000-01 season, a tell-tale sign that his career was coming to an end at the highest level. The player left Germany, as the Ghanaian with the most appearances in the Bundesliga (223 appearances).

In January 2002, the cult hero moved to the Qatari outfit, Al Ittihad (now Al Gharafa SC) he finished his career with very few appearances for the club.

Retirement

After hanging up his boots in 2002, Yeboah lived a low-profile life with his family working for his old club, Hamburg, as a scout from July 2002 until June 2003, he was subsequently appointed the chairman of the Ghanaian Premier League club, Berekum Chelsea FC. The side became Ghanaian champions for the first time in 2011.

However, this was not the only role he had in retirement, going on to set up a football agency with his cousin, former Mainz player, Michael Osei. The company they manage is called 'Anthony Yeboah SportPromotion.' He is also involved with a hotel chain based in Accra.

To add to that, Yeboah was appointed ‘advisor of management’ for the Ghana national team, a position he reportedly still obtains to this day. However, this has come under some scrutiny with the Black Stars legend stating, “I don’t know what is going on because I don’t follow. Everyone knows Ghana football is dead because they didn’t listen to the advice we gave them from the beginning,” according to Pulse. Then, continuing to state, “So I think they are currently facing the punishment. If you involve bribes and stuff like that in football, you will destroy the game."

The Ghanaian is highly respected in his homeland, due to his Premier League success alongside being part of the Black Stars 1992 African Nations campaign, eventually finishing as runners-up.

The Yeboahs are a successful footballing family in more than one sense, of course, Tony was the trailblazer who set the world alight, but his nephew, Kelvin Yeboah, is forging a promising career in his own right. The 23-year-old has recently joined Ligue 1 side, Montpellier appearing twice already this season.

Although he is related to his famous Ghanaian uncle, the youngster has opted for a different international allegiance choosing to represent Italy on the international stage due to growing up in the country despite his birthplace being in Ghana. The centre-forward could still change his allegiance as he has only represented Italy at youth level amid call-ups from both nations.

During an interview with GOAL in 2022, the starlet said, "Me and my brothers would watch these goals all the time. I especially remember seeing the goal against Liverpool. Continuing to say, "It was a beautiful image to have in the back of your mind all the time, of my uncle scoring goals in the Premier League. "It was a great source of inspiration. To have someone close to you that's already done it, it just makes you believe that maybe you can make it as a professional too."

Tony Yeboah no doubt has inspired many Africans across the continent, but his finest moment will always be that gorgeous strike against Liverpool in 1995.