Karim Abdul Razak Tanko (born 18 April 1956) is a

Ghana Ghana (; tw, Gaana, ee, Gana), officially the Republic of Ghana, is a country in West Africa. It abuts the Gulf of Guinea and the Atlantic Ocean to the south, sharing borders with Ivory Coast in the west, Burkina Faso in the north, and To ...

ian

football Football is a family of team sports that involve, to varying degrees, kicking a ball to score a goal. Unqualified, the word ''football'' normally means the form of football that is the most popular where the word is used. Sports commonly c ...

coach and former

midfielder A midfielder is an outfield position in association football. Midfielders may play an exclusively defensive role, breaking up attacks, and are in that case known as defensive midfielders. As central midfielders often go across boundarie ...

. He played for several clubs in the 1970s and 1980s, notably the local club

Asante Kotoko Asante Kotoko Sporting Club, simply known as Asante Kotoko, is a professional football club founded on 31 August 1935 and based in Kumasi in the Ashanti Region of Ghana. Nicknamed the ''Porcupine Warriors'', they compete in the Ghana Premier Lea ...

and the

New York Cosmos New York Cosmos may refer to * New York Cosmos (1970–1985), a team in the North American Soccer League (then the top-tier soccer league in the United States and Canada) * New York Cosmos (2010), a team playing since 2020 in the National Independe ...

in the defunct

North American Soccer League The North American Soccer League may refer to: *North American Soccer League (1968–1984), a former Division I league *North American Soccer League (2011–2017) The North American Soccer League (NASL) was a professional men's soccer league b ...

(NASL). Popularly called the "Golden Boy", Razak also played for the Ghana national team, helping it win the

1978 African Cup of Nations The 1978 African Cup of Nations was the eleventh edition of the Africa Cup of Nations, the Association football, football championship of Africa (Confederation of African Football, CAF). It was hosted by Accra and Kumasi, Ghana. The format of the ...

. He was named

African Footballer of the Year African or Africans may refer to: * Anything from or pertaining to the continent of Africa: ** People who are native to Africa, descendants of natives of Africa, or individuals who trace their ancestry to indigenous inhabitants of Africa *** Ethn ...

later that year. Razak, who also played for clubs in the

UAE The United Arab Emirates (UAE; ar, اَلْإِمَارَات الْعَرَبِيَة الْمُتَحِدَة ), or simply the Emirates ( ar, الِْإمَارَات ), is a country in Western Asia (The Middle East). It is located at th ...

Egypt Egypt ( ar, مصر , ), officially the Arab Republic of Egypt, is a transcontinental country spanning the northeast corner of Africa and southwest corner of Asia via a land bridge formed by the Sinai Peninsula. It is bordered by the Mediter ...

and

Ivory Coast Ivory Coast, also known as Côte d'Ivoire, officially the Republic of Côte d'Ivoire, is a country on the southern coast of West Africa. Its capital is Yamoussoukro, in the centre of the country, while its largest city and economic centre is ...

, was ranked by the

Confederation of African Football The Confederation of African Football, or CAF for short (french: link=yes, Confédération Africaine de Football, ar, link=yes, الاتحاد الأفريقي لكرة القدم, al-Ittiḥād al-Afrīqī li-Kurat al-Qadam), is the administ ...

(CAF) in 2007 as one of the confederation's 30 best footballers of the previous 50 years.

Early life

Razak was born in

Kumasi Kumasi (historically spelled Comassie or Coomassie, usually spelled Kumase in Twi) is a city in the Ashanti Region, and is among the largest metropolitan areas in Ghana. Kumasi is located in a rain forest region near Lake Bosomtwe, and is the ...

to Alhaji Abdul Karimu and Hajija Ishatu. He studied at Asem Boy's Elementary School. He started his playing career at local youth team football, before moving to ''Kumasi Cornerstones'' in 1972.

Club career

In 1975, he moved to Ghana's most successful club,

. After a four-year spell with Kotoko, during which he became a member of the

national team A national sports team (commonly known as a national team or a national side) is a team that represents a nation, rather than a particular club or region, in an international sport. The term is most commonly associated with team sports, for exam ...

and earned the 1978

award, Razak left Ghana in 1979 for the

of the NASL, where he played alongside former

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 ...

winners

Franz Beckenbauer Franz Anton Beckenbauer (, ; born 11 September 1945) is a German former professional footballer and manager. In his playing career he was nicknamed ''Der Kaiser'' ("The Emperor") because of his elegant style, dominance and leadership on the fi ...

and Carlos Alberto. In 1981, after spending almost two years at the New York club, the Ghanaian forward decided to return home, signing with his former club Asante Kotoko. After one year, he moved, this time to

Al Ain Al Ain ( ar, ٱلْعَيْن, , ) is a city in the western side of Tawam (region), Tuwwam region and the seat of the administrative division of its namesake, Al-Ain Region, Abu Dhabi, Al Ain in the Emirate of Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates. ...

, where he spent two seasons. Razak then signed with

Arab Contractors The Arabs (singular: Arab; singular ar, عَرَبِيٌّ, DIN 31635: , , plural ar, عَرَب, DIN 31635: , Arabic pronunciation: ), also known as the Arab people, are an ethnic group mainly inhabiting the Arab world in Western Asia, ...

, where he spent the next two years of his playing career. before returning to Ghana for a third spell with Kotoko. After another five years with the Ghanaian club, Razak moved to Ivorian side

Africa Sports Africa Sports d'Abidjan is an Ivorian multi-sports club founded in 1947 and based in Abidjan. The club fields teams in the sports of track and field, handball, basketball and association football, of these the football team is the most prominen ...

Abidjan Abidjan ( , ; N'Ko script, N’ko: ߊߓߌߖߊ߲߬) is the economic capital of the Ivory Coast. As of the Demographics of Ivory Coast, 2021 census, Abidjan's population was 6.3 million, which is 21.5 percent of overall population of the country, ...

, where he retired two years later.

International career

Razak was a member of the Ghana national team that competed at the

as hosts of the tournament. He scored two game-winning goals, one against

Zambia Zambia (), officially the Republic of Zambia, is a landlocked country at the crossroads of Central Africa, Central, Southern Africa, Southern and East Africa, although it is typically referred to as being in Southern Africa at its most cent ...

in the first round, and another one to defeat

Tunisia ) , image_map = Tunisia location (orthographic projection).svg , map_caption = Location of Tunisia in northern Africa , image_map2 = , capital = Tunis , largest_city = capital , ...

1–0 in semi-finals. His decisive goal against Tunisia has been referred to as the "Golden Goal". Ghana defeated

Uganda }), is a landlocked country in East Africa East Africa, Eastern Africa, or East of Africa, is the eastern subregion of the African continent. In the United Nations Statistics Division scheme of geographic regions, 10-11-(16*) territor ...

in the final, winning their 3rd continental title. In good part due to his effort to help Ghana win the African Cup, Razak was named African Player of the Year months later, becoming the second of three Ghanaian players ever to win the award. According to a

UEFA Union of European Football Associations (UEFA ; french: Union des associations européennes de football; german: Union der europäischen Fußballverbände) is one of six continental bodies of governance in association football. It governs f ...

report, Razak appeared in a total of 70 international matches for Ghana, scoring 25 goals.

Coaching career

After retiring from playing, Razak, who had become a player-coach while at

, started his coaching career, being in charge of several semi-professional

Togo Togo (), officially the Togolese Republic (french: République togolaise), is a country in West Africa. It is bordered by Ghana to the west, Benin to the east and Burkina Faso to the north. It extends south to the Gulf of Guinea, where its c ...

lese clubs, before moving to

Benin Benin ( , ; french: Bénin , ff, Benen), officially the Republic of Benin (french: République du Bénin), and formerly Dahomey, is a country in West Africa. It is bordered by Togo to the west, Nigeria to the east, Burkina Faso to the north ...

AS Dragons FC de l'Ouémé The Association Sportive Dragons FC de l'Ouémé known as Dragons de l'Ouémé is a football club in Benin, playing in the town of Porto-Novo. They play in the Beninese first division, the Benin Premier League. Achievements *Benin Premier League ...

. In 2000, he had a short spell as an assistant coach of the Ghana national team. After leaving the Ghanaian side, Razak went to

Mali Mali (; ), officially the Republic of Mali,, , ff, 𞤈𞤫𞤲𞥆𞤣𞤢𞥄𞤲𞤣𞤭 𞤃𞤢𞥄𞤤𞤭, Renndaandi Maali, italics=no, ar, جمهورية مالي, Jumhūriyyāt Mālī is a landlocked country in West Africa. Mali ...

, where he won the

Malien Premiere Division Malian may refer to: * Malian, Iran (disambiguation), places in Iran with the name * Something of, from, or related to Mali, a country in West Africa * Something of, from, or related to the Malians (Greek tribe) The Malians ( grc, Μαλιε� ...

and cup double with

Stade Malien Stade Malien is a Malian professional football and sports club based in Bamako. One of the two dominant clubs of Malian football, their eastern Bamako training grounds host other sports as well, including a successful basketball club. Football ...

. The club did not lose any matches on its way to winning the title.Razak signs with BBC
''BBC Sport''. BBC. Thursday, 20 December 2001. Retrieved on 2 July 2021 In 2003, he was appointed the coach of Kumasi Asante Kotoko and helped the club win their first local league in ten years. He discharged of his post after the 2003–04 league season, eventually returning to

for two additional seasons. He also coached Real Tamale United in the Ghana Premier League from 2007 to 2009.

Achievements

In a 1999 poll held by the

IFFHS The International Federation of Football History & Statistics (IFFHS) is an organisation that chronicles the history and records of association football. It was founded in 1984 by Alfredo Pöge in Leipzig. The IFFHS was based in Abu Dhabi for so ...

to select the best footballers of the 20th Century, Razak ranked 31st among African players, and in 2007, he was selected as one of the 30 best African footballers of the previous 50 years by CAF, through internet voting. Razak's career titles and individual honours include:

Player

;Asante Kotoko *

Ghana Premier League The is the top professional association football division of the football league system in Ghana. Officially formed in 1956 to replace a previous league incarnation, the Gold Coast Club Competition (which began in 1933 and ended in 1953–54), t ...

: 1981, 1986, 1987 *

Ghanaian FA Cup The Ghanaian FA Cup, currently known as the MTN Group, MTN FA Cup for sponsorship purposes, is the top Single-elimination tournament, knockout tournament of the Ghanaian association football. The competition is played between the clubs of the Gha ...

: 1978 * Ghana SWAG Cup: 1988 ;New York Cosmos * North American Soccer League season:

1978 Events January * January 1 – Air India Flight 855, a Boeing 747 passenger jet, crashes off the coast of Bombay, killing 213. * January 5 – Bülent Ecevit, of Republican People's Party, CHP, forms the new government of Turkey (42nd go ...

Trans-Atlantic Challenge Cup The Trans-Atlantic Challenge Cup was a Exhibition game#Association football, friendly association football competition, held in the summer from 1980 to 1984. It was hosted by the New York Cosmos (1970–85), New York Cosmos of the original North A ...

: 1980 ;Al Ain FC * Joint League Cup: 1983 ;Arab Contractors SC *

African Cup Winners' Cup The African Cup Winners' Cup was a football competition that started in 1975 and merged with the CAF Cup in 2004 to form the CAF Confederation Cup. It was a competition between the winning clubs of domestic cups in CAF-affiliated nations and was ...

1983 The year 1983 saw both the official beginning of the Internet and the first mobile cellular telephone call. Events January * January 1 – The migration of the ARPANET to Internet protocol suite, TCP/IP is officially completed (this is consid ...

;Africa Sports *

Côte d'Ivoire Premier Division The Ivory Coast MTN Ligue 1 is the top division of the Ivorian Football Federation. It was created in 1960. 2021−22 Ligue 1 clubs * AF Amadou Diallo * AS Indenié Abengourou * ASEC Mimosas * Bouaké FC * CO Korhogo * ES Bafing * FC San Pedro * ...

: 1989 *

Côte d'Ivoire Cup Côte is a British cafe chain founded by Richard Caring, Andy Bassadone, Chris Benians and Nick Fiddler in Wimbledon, London in 2007. There are now over 84 restaurants in the UK (as of June 2022). History The first restaurant was founded with ...

: 1989 * Coupe Houphouët-Boigny: 1989 Ghana *

African Cup of Nations The Africa Cup of Nations referred to as AFCON (french: Coupe d'Afrique des Nations, sometimes referred to as CAN, or TotalEnergies Africa Cup of Nations for sponsorship reasons), and sometimes as African Cup of Nations, is the main internati ...

Individual *

UAE Pro-League The UAE Pro League ( ar, دوري المحترفين الإماراتي), known for sponsorship reasons as the ADNOC Pro League, is the top professional football league in the United Arab Emirates (UAE). The first team to win the title was Al O ...

top scorer: 1980–81 *

: 1978 * Best AFCON Player: 1978 * Egyptian Player of the Year: 1984, 1985

Manager

;Stade Malien *

: 2000–01, 2002, 2005, 2005–06 *

Malien Cup The Coupe du Mali Orange for sponsorship reasons is the top knockout tournament of the Malien football Football is a family of team sports that involve, to varying degrees, kicking a ball to score a goal. Unqualified, the word ''football' ...

: 2001, 2006 *

Super Coupe National du Mali The Super Coupe National (French for the National Super Cup) is a match competition in Mali football, played between the Malien Première Division (Malian Premier Division) champions and the Malian Cup winners. Sometimes, if a champion also has a ...

: 2001, 2005, 2006 * ;Asante Kotoko *Ghana Premier League: 2003 *

SWAG Cup The SWAG Cup (Sports Writers Association of Ghana Cup) is an annual one-off game, featuring two selected clubs at the end of the season. The cup is called the H.P. Nyemitei Cup in honour of former GFA president Henry Plange Nyemitei and the SIC H. ...

: 2003 * GHALCA Top 4: 2003 Individual * Malien Premiere Division Coach of the Year: 2001, 2002, 2005, 2006 * SWAG Coach of the Year: 2003

References

External links

*
Biography at CyberEagles

{{DEFAULTSORT:Razak, Karim Abdul 1956 births Living people Ghanaian footballers Ghanaian expatriate footballers Ghana international footballers New York Cosmos players North American Soccer League (1968–1984) players Al Ain FC players Ghanaian football managers Asante Kotoko S.C. players Footballers from Kumasi African Footballer of the Year winners Al Mokawloon Al Arab SC players Africa Sports d'Abidjan players 1978 African Cup of Nations players 1984 African Cup of Nations players Africa Cup of Nations-winning players Expatriate footballers in Egypt Expatriate footballers in Ivory Coast Expatriate footballers in the United Arab Emirates Expatriate soccer players in the United States Ghanaian expatriate sportspeople in Egypt Ghanaian expatriate sportspeople in Ivory Coast Ghanaian expatriate sportspeople in Mali Ghanaian expatriate sportspeople in the United Arab Emirates Ghanaian expatriate sportspeople in the United States Ghanaian expatriate football managers UAE Pro League players Association football midfielders Stade Malien managers Egyptian Premier League players