Gideon Mensah

Gideon Mensah has played for nine clubs in six countries since leaving the West African Football Academy as a teenager. In July 2026, a month after going to the World Cup with Ghana, the left-back signed for 1. FC Koln in the Bundesliga.

Early career

He was born on 18 July 1998 in Accra and began at WAFA. Red Bull Salzburg signed him and placed him with its feeder club, FC Liefering, then sent him on loan to Sturm Graz (2019), Zulte Waregem in Belgium (2019-20), Vitoria de Guimaraes in Portugal (2020-21) and Bordeaux (2021-22).

Auxerre and Koln

Auxerre signed him permanently in August 2022, and he became a regular, playing more than 110 league games and winning Ligue 2 in 2023-24 to help the club back to the top flight. On 11 July 2026 he joined Koln on a two-year contract.

Black Stars

He made his senior debut in 2019 and played at the 2021 Africa Cup of Nations and the 2022 World Cup, starting against South Korea. He was in Ghana's 26-man squad for the 2026 World Cup and had 46 caps by the end of September 2026.