ERIC ADDO

'Eric Addo' (born November 12, 1978 in Accra) is a Ghanaian International football player who, as of 2007, plays professionally for the Dutch Eredivisie Club PSV Eindhoven.
Once heralded as a potential African great thanks to his combination of strength, pace and poise early on, Eric Addo, a combative defensive midfielder who can also play as a central defender had his budding career sadly blighted by knee injuries, eventhough he is still having a very colorful career.^[1]

Contents

Club Career

Contract Extension

International Career

Major Honors and awards

References

External links

Club Career

Born in the Ghanaian capital Accra, Addo began his European career brightly at Club Brugge KV in 1996 and over three seasons at the Jan Breydelstadion made 60 appearances, scoring four goals. At Brugges, he had been viewed as a potential superstar on the European stage after bursting into the first team ranks and helping them to win the Belgian Championship. He was voted the 1997-98 'Young Belgian Footballer of the Year' by Belgian journalists and 'Ghana Player of the Year' the same season as the Bruges club claimed the league title. He also won the Belgian Ebony Shoe Award for being the best African player (or player with African roots) in the Belgian Jupiler League. The jury is composed of the coaches of Jupiler League Clubs, the Belgian national team coach, Sport journalists plus an honorary jury.
Addo joined PSV Eindhoven during summer 1999 for €5.9m on a five-year contract, although he spent most of his first three years injured or as a substitute. He played just 24 times during this period, going out on loan^[2] at Roda JC for two years - before finally becoming a regular as PSV Eindhoven retained their Eredivisie title in 2006. "I'm hoping now to show at Roda what I can do," Addo told Dutch magazine ''Voetbal International''. "When I moved to PSV there was a lot of pressure and obviously it got worst when I was injured. They paid a lot of money for me. I still need to show the supporters what I am capable of and the move to Roda is the solution for me."^[2]. In Eindhoven he is regarded as a very useful stand-in, and has to date, won 5 'Eredivisie' (Dutch League) Championships with PSV.
His last game for PSV in the UEFA Champions League was '1-0' away loss at Anfield, against Liverpool F.C. in the 2006-07 Quarter Final second leg.^[4]. Watch '1st half here', '2nd half here'. PSV lost 4-0 on aggregate to Liverpool, after losing '3-0' at home to the 2005 UEFA Champions League Winners.
On April 29 2007, Addo won^[5] the his 5th Eredivise Championship with PSV Eindhoven during the 2006-2007 season, with a '5-1', final day home victory against Vitesse Arnhem^[6]. Pre-match, PSV, Ajax and AZ Alkmaar were tied on 72 points. AZ lost 2-3 away at Excelsior, while Ajax and PSV both won. Therefore, the title was decided only by goal difference, with PSV's bigger winning margin proving decisive as they bettered Ajax's goal difference by just 1 goal (+50 compared with +49).
PSV Coach Ronald Koeman started Alex and Eric Addo at the heart of defence, while Arouna Koné and his strike partner Jefferson Farfán played up front for the Dutch Champions, in this historic game.^[7]

Contract Extension

On 3 April 2007, Addo told ''BBC Sport'' that "I will not extend my contract with PSV Eindhoven because things are not improving here for me,". The 2008 African Cup of Nations is getting close and if I have to stay I should be guaranteed more playing time to be fit for the tournament in Ghana. He continued, "PSV understand my situation and they have agreed to allow me to leave at the end of the season."^[8]
On 22 April 2007, Addo was linked with a move to Galatasaray S.K.^[9] in the Dutch media. He was also linked with FC Twente, whose trainer 'Fred Rutten' knows Addo from his time at PSV^[10]. But on 22 May 2007, Addo changed his mind and signed a new contract extension with PSV^[11].
In a famous Champions league match against Manchester United, Addo cleared a Cristiano Ronaldo header that hit the right post. Ronaldo had a wide open goal but could not put the shot on target. PSV fans heckled Ronaldo for the rest of the game.

International Career

Addo was given the chance to represent his adopted country, Belgium, in the 1998 FIFA World Cup, but instead opted to play for his homeland. However, after playing in the 1998 African Cup of Nations, he spent six years in the international wilderness.
He was a member of the Ghanaian squad at the 2006 FIFA World Cup finals playing in all four of Ghana's games including the exit to Brazil in the 2nd Round. His last game for Ghana was against Brazil in an FIFA International friendly in Stockholm, Sweden on 27 March 2007. .

Major Honors and awards

;Club
'PSV Eindhoven'

★ 'Eredivisie (Dutch League)' Winner: 1999-00, 2000-01, 2004-05, 2005-06, 2006-07

★ 'KNVB beker (Dutch Cup)' Winner: 2004-05

★ 'Johan Cruijff schaal (Dutch Super Cup)' Winner: 1999-00, 2000-01

★ 'KNVB beker (Dutch Cup)' Finalist medal: 2006

★ 'Johan Cruijff schaal (Dutch Super Cup)' Finalist medal: 2006, 2005
'Club Brugge'

★ 'Belgian Jupiler League' Winner: 1997-98

★ 'Belgian Supercup' Winner: 1996, 1998
; International

★ 2006 FIFA World Cup 2nd Round
; Individual

★ Belgian Young Footballer of the Year Winner: 1997/1998

★ Belgian Ebony Shoe Award Winner: 1998

★ 'Ghana Footballer of the Year Award' Winner: 1998

References

1. Profile of Eric Addo
2. Addo hopes for career resurrection
3. Addo hopes for career resurrection
4. PSV’s Champions League campaign has come to an end
5. African duo in Dutch title win
6. PSV retain the Dutch title on a dramatic afternoon
7. Koeman fields strongest possible team
8. Addo to leave PSV Eindhoven
9. 'Eric Addo van PSV naar Galatasaray SK'
10. FC Twente aast op Eric Addo
11. Addo makes PSV U-turn

External links

★ PSV bio

★ Fifa 2006 World Cup Profile

★ UEFA Champions League Profile

★ Ghana Football Association - official website

★ Ghanaweb Football Forum - Official Fan Forum