Alhaji Mohammed Ahmed (born 11 November 1956), popularly known as Mohammed Polo and the "Dribbling Magician", is a former Ghanaian international and local club

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 ...

player. He spent years of his soccer career playing as a left winger for

Hearts of Oak Hearts most commonly refers to: * Hearts (card game), a trick-taking game * Hearts (suit), one of the standard four suits of cards * Heart, an organ Hearts may also refer to: Music * The Hearts, an American girl group closely related to the Jay ...

in the

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 ...

in the 1970s and 1980s, and was also a key player in the

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 ...

squad that won 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 ...

held in Ghana.

Playing career

Youth football in the 70s

Polo played football with teams in Accra such as Auroras, Accra Great Olympics and for

, where along with

Mama Acquah Mama(s) or Mamma or Momma may refer to: Roles *Mother, a female parent *Mama-san, in Japan and East Asia, a woman in a position of authority *Mamas, a name for female associates of the Hells Angels Places *Mama, Russia, an urban-type settlement ...

Anas Seidu ''Anas'' is a genus of dabbling ducks. It includes the pintails, most teals, and the mallard and its close relatives. It formerly included additional species but following the publication of a molecular phylogenetic study in 2009 the genus was s ...

Peter Lamptey Peter Lamptey (born 6 April 1946) is a former Ghanaian international footballer. He was the top scorer in the Ghana league in 1973 and played most of his club football for Accra Hearts of Oak SC and Great Olympics. Club career While playing with ...

and Robert Hammond were known as the “Fearsome Five”.

1978 African Cup of Nations

He was first called-up to play for the Black Stars at age 17. In the

where Ghana won its third AFCON title, Polo scored a goal and was listed as a forward in the CAF Team of the Tournament along 3 other Ghanaian players.

Late 70s and 80s at Al Wasl

From 1979 to 1984, Mohammad Polo played for the famous Dubai club, Al Wasl, where he was popular with the fans.

Post-playing career

He was appointed the Technical head of Great Olympics in January 2004. Mohammed Polo owns the soccer academy Golden Stars Academy, which trains at Legon. He considers himself a better player than

Lionel Messi Lionel Andrés Messi (; born 24 June 1987), also known as Leo Messi, is an Argentine professional footballer who plays as a forward for club Paris Saint-Germain and captains the Argentina national team. Widely regarded as one of the ...

. Polo is a former

Head coach A head coach, senior coach or manager is a professional at training and developing athletes. They typically hold a more public profile and are paid more than other coaches. In some sports, the head coach is instead called the "manager", as in assoc ...

of the

club

Accra Hearts of Oak Accra Hearts of Oak Sporting Club, commonly referred to as Hearts of Oak or just Hearts, is a professional sports club based in Accra (Greater Accra), Ghana. Founded in 1911, the club is the oldest surviving football club in Ghana and its trad ...

Personal life

His mother was known as Hajia Hawa Ahmed.

Honours

- champions *Footballer of the year - Ghana Football Association (1975) *African Player of the Year 1977 - Came 4th in voting for this award *UAE League Champion 1981–82, 1982–83 *2006 - Coca-Cola Award on Breaking Barriers

Notes and references

External links

*
Mohammed Ahmed Polo Biography
Living people 1956 births Accra Hearts of Oak S.C. players Ghana men's international footballers Ghanaian Muslims Ghanaian men's footballers Ghanaian expatriate men's footballers Al Wasl F.C. players Sekondi Hasaacas F.C. players 1978 African Cup of Nations players 1984 African Cup of Nations players Africa Cup of Nations-winning players UAE Pro League players Men's association football midfielders Accra Hearts of Oak S.C. managers Ghanaian football managers Expatriate men's footballers in the United Arab Emirates Ghanaian expatriate sportspeople in the United Arab Emirates {{Ghana-footy-bio-stub