Ishmael Addo

Ishmael Addo (born 30 July 1978) is a Ghanaian former professional football striker. He is best known for his accomplishments during his career at Ghanaian side Hearts of Oak, but has also spent several years in France, Israel, Greece, Cyprus and India. A diminutive striker with an exceptional turn of pace, Addo's ability to score goals and demoralise the opposition has led to him earning the nickname "''baby-faced assassin''". Holding the record of overall top scorer in the history of the Ghanaian League (22 goals in a single season), he is considered to be one of the most talented strikers ever to grace the competition. At some point during his career, Addo was named in FIFA's top 100 prospects.

Club career

Addo started his professional football career at Ghana's Hearts of Oak in 1998, where he remained for four seasons, in three of which he finished the country's top scorer. During his spell with the club, he won the 2000 CAF Champions League and 2001 Super Cup, four Ghanaian League championships (1997–98, 1999, 2000, 2001) and two Ghanaian FA Cups (1999, 2000). In his final playing year with Hearts of Oak, Addo broke the Ghanaian League season top-scorer record with 22 goals, thus helping his side win the league and cup double. During that same season, he scored two late, controversial goals for Hearts of Oak to defeat arch-rivals Asante Kotoko 2–1, in a match that was marred by the worst stadium disaster ever to take place in Africa.

After an unsuccessful loan spell at French club SC Bastia, Addo was signed by Israeli side Maccabi Netanya during the summer of 2002. He opened his account for his new club with a hat-trick in a cup game in his second start, and ended up scoring eight goals in 19 league appearances in his debut season. His second season with Maccabi Netanya did not go as smoothly, as he struggled to find the net during a difficult season for the club. His eventual tally of five goals were not enough to save the club from relegation. Addo had however already drawn the attention of Israeli club Maccabi Tel Aviv, joining the side in July 2004. He made an immediate impact at the start of the new season with a goal on his debut in a 2–1 win against Greek club PAOK during the 2004–05 UEFA Champions League third qualifying round. He went on to feature in all six UEFA Champions League group stage matches, without however scoring a goal.

After struggling to establish himself in the Maccabi Tel Aviv first team, Addo was loaned out to Greek Superleague club Ergotelis in January 2005 until the end of the season. He scored his only goal in 15 caps for the club on 20 February 2005, in a 2–1 victory over reigning champions Olympiacos. He then moved to Cyprus signing with Cypriot First Division side Enosis Neon Paralimni, but after spending yet another season struggling, he decided to return to Ghana and his first club Hearts of Oak in October 2006.

Addo spent the next two years at the Ghanaian League club adding one more Ghanaian League championship to his palmarès in 2007. He left Hearts of Oak in 2008 and signed with Indian top flight side East Bengal in 2008, joining compatriot Yusif Yakubu

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