Derek Asamoah (born 1 May 1981) is a Ghanaian 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 le ...

who plays as a

forward Forward is a relative direction, the opposite of backward. Forward may also refer to: People * Forward (surname) Sports * Forward (association football) * Forward (basketball), including: ** Point forward ** Power forward (basketball) ** Sm ...

. He has previously played for clubs in England, France, Scotland, Bulgaria and South Korea.

Club career

Early career

Asamoah learned his trade in the Protec Football Academy in North London. Whilst in the academy, he played for semi-professional side Hampton & Richmond Borough, before moving to

Slough Town Slough Town Football Club is a semi-professional English football club based in Slough, Berkshire. Nicknamed "The Rebels", the team competes in the National League South, at the sixth tier of English football, following promotion from the Sou ...

in 2001. Asamoah then gained a trial at

Northampton Town Northampton Town Football Club is a professional association football club based in the town of Northampton, England. The team plays in , the fourth tier of the English football league system. Founded in 1897, the club competed in the Midland ...

, in which he signed his first professional contract. After an impressive first season at

Sixfields Sixfields is an area of Northampton, Northamptonshire, England about west of the town centre along the A4500 St James Road and Weedon Road towards M1 junction 16 about further west. It is close to the Duston, Upton and St James areas o ...

, he was offered a new improved contract but Asamoah turned it down in favor of a move to

Mansfield Town Mansfield Town Football Club is a professional association football, football club based in the town of Mansfield, Nottinghamshire, England. The team competes in , the fourth tier of the English football league system. Nicknamed 'The Stags', they ...

. He had a difficult time at Mansfield Town and fell out with manager

Carlton Palmer Carlton Lloyd Palmer (born 5 December 1965) is an English football manager, former footballer and football television pundit whose last management role was as manager of Grantham Town. As a player, he was a midfielder from 1984 to 2005, playi ...

. He was transfer-listed and moved to Lincoln City. Asamoah struggled to enjoy his spell at Lincoln City and scored very few goals, which led to boss Keith Alexander loaning him out to struggling Chester City. Asamoah was in his most prolific season yet, almost using his own two feet saving Chester from the drop with nine goals in 18 matches and at one stage in the season, he had seven goals in four matches. Having rejected a permanent deal with Chester, Asamoah left and was released by Lincoln City. In search of a new club, Asamoah trialled with both

Doncaster Rovers Doncaster Rovers Football Club is a professional association football club based in Doncaster, South Yorkshire, England. The team compete in League Two, the fourth tier of the English football league system. The club play their home games at ...

and

Scunthorpe United Scunthorpe United Football Club is a professional association football club based in the town of Scunthorpe, Lincolnshire, England. The side currently competes in the National League, the fifth tier of the English football league system. The tea ...

during July 2006, but on 3 August 2006,

Shrewsbury Town Shrewsbury Town Football Club is a professional association football club based in Shrewsbury, Shropshire, England. The team competes in League One, the third tier of English football. The club plays its home games at the New Meadow, having mo ...

announced that he had signed for them and turned down Scunthorpe United. In 2006–07, Asamoah netted 10 times in the league as Shrewsbury Town qualified for the

League Two play-offs The EFL League Two play-offs are a series of play-off matches contested by the association football teams finishing from fourth to seventh in EFL League Two, the fourth tier of the English football league system. They are part of the annual Engli ...

in 7th place.

Nice

In August 2007, Asamoah moved to French Ligue 1 side

OGC Nice Olympique Gymnaste Club Nice Côte d'Azur (), commonly referred to as OGC Nice or simply Nice, is a French professional football club based in Nice. The club was founded in 1904 and currently plays in Ligue 1, the top tier of French football. ...

in a controversial transfer, where he went

AWOL Desertion is the abandonment of a military duty or Military base, post without permission (a Pass (military), pass, Shore leave, liberty or Leave (U.S. military), leave) and is done with the intention of not returning. This contrasts with u ...

from Shrewsbury Town in order to sign with the French club, with no clearance from Shrewsbury, the FA or

the Football League The English Football League (EFL) is a league of professional football clubs from England and Wales. Founded in 1888 as the Football League, the league is the oldest such competition in the world. It was the top-level football league in Engla ...

. Asamoah moved for a figure of £50,000. Following the transfer, Shrewsbury manager

Gary Peters Gary Charles Peters Sr. (born December 1, 1958) is an American lawyer, politician, and former military officer serving as the junior United States senator from Michigan since 2015. A member of the Democratic Party, he was the U.S. representativ ...

claimed Asamoah's conduct was that of a 'selfish player and a selfish person', and revealed Asamoah would have been sacked by Shrewsbury Town had his deal with Nice fallen through. He never made a first-team appearance for the club. As a result of this, he had not played domestic football in over 18-months by end of January 2009, when he left Nice to begin training with

Yeovil Town Yeovil Town may refer to: * Yeovil Town F.C., an English football team based in Yeovil, Somerset * Yeovil Town L.F.C. Bridgwater United Women's Football Club are an English women's association football club based in Bridgwater, Somerset who wer ...

Hamilton Academical

On 2 April 2009, it was confirmed that he had a trial at Scottish side

Hamilton Academical Hamilton Academical Football Club, often known as Hamilton Accies, or The Accies, is a Scottish association football, football club from Hamilton, South Lanarkshire, Hamilton, South Lanarkshire who currently compete in the Scottish Championshi ...

becoming the third

player to feature on their books after

Colin Cramb Colin Cramb (born 23 June 1974 in Lanark) is a Scottish former professional footballer and coach who played as a forward from 1991 and 2009. He notably played for Hamilton Academical, Doncaster Rovers, Bristol City and Stirling Albion. Cramb ...

and cult hero Victor Kasule. Asamoah made his debut for the Scottish side against

Celtic Celtic, Celtics or Keltic may refer to: Language and ethnicity *pertaining to Celts, a collection of Indo-European peoples in Europe and Anatolia **Celts (modern) *Celtic languages **Proto-Celtic language * Celtic music *Celtic nations Sports Fo ...

, in a 6–0 thumping. At the end of the season Asamoah decided change would be best for him and left Hamilton for Bulgaria.

Lokomotiv Sofia

In July 2009, Asamoah joined

Lokomotiv Sofia Lokomotiv 1929 ( bg, Локомотив 1929) is a Bulgarian professional association football club based in Sofia, which currently plays in the First League, the top tier of Bulgarian football. Founded as Railway Sports Club in 1929, and refou ...

for two years, with the option for an additional one.

Pohang Steelers

In November 2010, Asamoah signed with South Korean side

Pohang Steelers The Pohang Steelers (Hangul: 포항 스틸러스) are a South Korean professional football club based in Pohang, North Gyeongsang Province that compete in the K League 1, the top flight of South Korean football. The Steelers were founded on 1 A ...

. His contract was for three years. On 5 March 2011, he made his official debut (as a starter) in the 1–1 home draw with

Seongnam Ilhwa Chunma Seongnam () is the fourth largest city in South Korea's Gyeonggi Province after Suwon and the 10th largest city in the country. Its population is approximately one million. Seongnam is a satellite city of Seoul. It is largely a residential city ...

. Asamoah netted his first goal on 13 March 2011 – in the 1–0 away win over

Chunnam Dragons The Jeonnam Dragons (Korean: 전남 드래곤즈) are a South Korean professional football club based in the city of Gwangyang, South Jeolla Province that competes in the K League 2, the second tier of South Korean football. The Dragons play thei ...

. He established himself as an influential player for the side.

Daegu FC

Despite being one of Pohang Steeler's top goalscorers, Asamoah left them as a

Free Agent In professional sports, a free agent is a player who is eligible to sign with other clubs or franchises; i.e., not under contract to any specific team. The term is also used in reference to a player who is under contract at present but who is a ...

and on 20 February 2013 signed with

Daegu FC Daegu FC (Korean: 대구 FC) is a South Korean professional football club based in Daegu. The club was founded as a community club at the end of 2002, and made their K League 1 debut in 2003. Daegu has played mostly in the K League 1 but was re ...

Carlisle United

Asamoah signed for League Two club

Carlisle United Carlisle United Football Club ( , ) is a professional association football club based in Carlisle, Cumbria, England. The team compete in , the fourth tier of the English football league system. They have played their home games at Brunton Par ...

on a short-term deal on 21 October 2014. He scored on his debut in a 4–3 home defeat to

Burton Albion Burton Albion Football Club is a professional association football club in the town of Burton upon Trent, Staffordshire, England. The team compete in League One, the third tier of the English football league system. The club moved its home groun ...

two days later. On 4 February, he signed a contract to keep him at

Brunton Park Brunton Park is a football stadium and the home of Carlisle United. It is situated in the city of Carlisle and has a certified capacity of 17,949. The ground opened in 1909. Brunton Park's grandstand burned down in 1953 and the stadium floode ...

until the end of the season. He described the club as a "sleeping giant" and hopes to help guide the Cumbrians back towards the top of the European game. On 23 September 2015, in a

Football League Cup The EFL Cup (referred to historically, and colloquially, as the League Cup), currently known as the Carabao Cup for sponsorship reasons, is an annual knockout competition and major trophy in men's domestic football in England. Organised by the ...

tie against

Liverpool Liverpool is a city and metropolitan borough in Merseyside, England. With a population of in 2019, it is the 10th largest English district by population and its metropolitan area is the fifth largest in the United Kingdom, with a popul ...

, Asamoah scored the second goal of the match, with the match ending 1–1 before extra time. Carlisle United lost the tie eventually on penalties in a 3–2 result. He was released June 2016, but in September he returned to the club for training. After scoring a hat trick in a reserve game, Asamoah resigned for the club on 14 October 2016 on a short-term deal. After making 11 appearances in all competitions, Asamoah was released by Carlisle on 16 January 2017.

Guiseley

On 20 January 2017, Asamoah signed for

National League The National League of Professional Baseball Clubs, known simply as the National League (NL), is the older of two leagues constituting Major League Baseball (MLB) in the United States and Canada, and the world's oldest extant professional team s ...

side

Guiseley Guiseley ( ) is a town in metropolitan borough of the City of Leeds, West Yorkshire, England. Historically part of the West Riding of Yorkshire, it is situated south of Otley and Menston and is now a north-western suburb of Leeds. It sits in t ...

until the end of the season. He left the club again in the summer 2017.

Cheshunt

In 2020 Asamoah joined

Cheshunt Cheshunt ( ) is a town in Hertfordshire, England, north of London on the River Lea and Lee Navigation. It contains a section of the Lee Valley Park, including much of the River Lee Country Park. To the north lies Broxbourne and Wormley, Hertfor ...

where his son also plays.

International career

In October 2006, Asamoah was included in the

Ghana national football team The Ghana national football team represents Ghana in men's international football, doing it since 1957. The team consists of twenty players including the technical team. The team is nicknamed the Black Stars after the Black Star of Africa in ...

for

friendlies An exhibition game (also known as a friendly, a scrimmage, a demonstration, a preseason game, a warmup match, or a preparation match, depending at least in part on the sport) is a sporting event whose prize money and impact on the player's or ...

against

Japan Japan ( ja, 日本, or , and formally , ''Nihonkoku'') is an island country in East Asia. It is situated in the northwest Pacific Ocean, and is bordered on the west by the Sea of Japan, while extending from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north ...

and

South Korea South Korea, officially the Republic of Korea (ROK), is a country in East Asia, constituting the southern part of the Korea, Korean Peninsula and sharing a Korean Demilitarized Zone, land border with North Korea. Its western border is formed ...

, in which he made his international debut, he has made another three appearances for Ghana, looking to gain a place in the

Milovan Rajevac Milovan Rajevac (Serbian: Милован Рајевац; born 2 January 1954) is a Serbian football manager and former professional player who is currently the technical director of Muangthong United. Playing career Born in Čajetina, Rajevac p ...

squad for the

2010 African Cup of Nations The 2010 Africa Cup of Nations, also known as the Orange Africa Cup of Nations for sponsorship reasons, was the 27th Africa Cup of Nations, the biennial football championship of Africa ( CAF). It was held in Angola, where it began on 10 January 20 ...

and the

World Cup A world cup is a global sporting competition in which the participant entities – usually international teams or individuals representing their countries – compete for the title of world champion. The event most associated with the concept i ...

. During the winter transfer window pause, the Ghana coach announced that having many talented footballers in his team, he would eye him to be included in the squad for the Cup, seeing as many Lokomotiv Sofia games as possible. On 7 November 2011, Asamoah returned to the national team again for the first time since 2008. He was recalled to the national team for friendlies against

Gabon Gabon (; ; snq, Ngabu), officially the Gabonese Republic (french: République gabonaise), is a country on the west coast of Central Africa. Located on the equator, it is bordered by Equatorial Guinea to the northwest, Cameroon to the north ...

and

Sierra Leone Sierra Leone,)]. officially the Republic of Sierra Leone, is a country on the southwest coast of West Africa. It is bordered by Liberia to the southeast and Guinea surrounds the northern half of the nation. Covering a total area of , Sierra ...

by new head coach

Goran Stevanović Goran Stevanović (, ; born 27 November 1966) is a Serbian football manager and former player. Playing career He started his career in Partizan, a club where he passed all categories, from pioneers to seniors. He played a total of 328 games and ...

. On 15 November 2011, Asamoah scored his first international goal against

in stoppage time to win the game 2–1 for Ghana.

International goals

Personal life

Asamoah is the cousin of former professional footballer

Lloyd Owusu Lloyd Magnus Owusu (born 12 December 1976) is a retired professional footballer who last played for Hakoah Sydney City East in the NSW State League Division One, Sydney, Australia. After a move from non-League Slough Town, his career took off at ...

, who has now retired. Asamoah's son, Maleace is also a professional footballer and the pair played together in a match for

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Asamoah, Derek Living people 1981 births Footballers from Accra Association football forwards Ghanaian footballers Ghana international footballers English Football League players Scottish Premier League players First Professional Football League (Bulgaria) players K League 1 players Hampton & Richmond Borough F.C. players Slough Town F.C. players Northampton Town F.C. players Mansfield Town F.C. players Lincoln City F.C. players Chester City F.C. players Shrewsbury Town F.C. players OGC Nice players Hamilton Academical F.C. players FC Lokomotiv 1929 Sofia players Pohang Steelers players Daegu FC players Carlisle United F.C. players Expatriate footballers in England Expatriate footballers in France Expatriate footballers in Scotland Expatriate footballers in Bulgaria Expatriate footballers in South Korea Ghanaian expatriate footballers Ghanaian expatriate sportspeople in France Ghanaian expatriate sportspeople in England Ghanaian expatriate sportspeople in Bulgaria Ghanaian expatriate sportspeople in South Korea Ghanaian expatriate sportspeople in Scotland