Quincy Owusu-Abeyie

Quincy Owusu-Abeyie

Quincy with Ghana, 2008
Personal information
Full name Quincy James Owusu-Abeyie[1]
Date of birth (1986-04-15) 15 April 1986
Place of birth Amsterdam, Netherlands
Height 1.80 m (5 ft 11 in)[2]
Playing position Left winger
Club information
Current team
 NEC
Number 21
Youth career
1993–2002 Ajax
2002–2003 Arsenal
Senior career*
Years Team Apps (Gls)
2003–2006 Arsenal 5 (0)
2006–2010 Spartak Moscow 29 (3)
2007–2008 → Celta Vigo (loan) 21 (4)
2008–2009 → Birmingham City (loan) 19 (2)
2009 → Cardiff City (loan) 5 (0)
2010 → Portsmouth (loan) 10 (0)
2010–2011 Al-Sadd ? (?)
2010–2011 → Málaga (loan) 25 (2)
2011–2014 Panathinaikos 43 (5)
2014–2015 Boavista 7 (0)
2016– NEC 12 (0)
National team‡
2005–2006 Netherlands U21 7 (1)
2008– Ghana 18 (2)

* Senior club appearances and goals counted for the domestic league only and correct as of 27 November 2016.

‡ National team caps and goals correct as of 21:53, 11 October 2012 (UTC)

Quincy James Owusu-Abeyie (born 15 April 1986), often known simply by his first name, Quincy,[3] is a Ghanaian international footballer. He plays as a forward or left winger.

He was born in the Netherlands, and played international football for his country of birth at youth level, but in 2007 requested to become eligible to represent his parents' country, Ghana, instead.[4] FIFA approved his request on 10 January 2008, just ahead of the 2008 Africa Cup of Nations.[5]

Club career

Early career and AFC Ajax

Quincy was born in Amsterdam, Netherlands, to Ghanaian parents.[6] Quincy had been a member of the youth system at hometown club Ajax for nine years when he was released at the age of 16 for alleged attitude problems.[7]

Arsenal

Liam Brady, head of youth development at Premier League club Arsenal, offered him a trial which proved successful, and the player joined Arsenal as a scholar in September 2002.[8] In the 2002–03 season he scored 17 goals in 20 games for the under-17 side, including six in a 7–1 victory over Wolverhampton Wanderers under-17.[9] Handed his first professional contract on his 18th birthday[8] – a move which led to Arsenal being fined £10,000 and given a suspended two-year transfer ban for inadvertently dealing with an unlicensed agent[10] – Quincy signed a new long-term contract in July 2005.[11]

His first-team debut came as an 85th-minute substitute in the League Cup match against Rotherham United on 28 October 2003. During extra time he attempted to chip Rotherham goalkeeper Mike Pollitt, who handled the ball outside his penalty area and was sent off; with the score 1–1 after 120 minutes the game was decided by a penalty shootout (the first ever shootout featuring Arsenal at Highbury Stadium), which Arsenal won, though Quincy missed his kick.[12] He scored his first goal for the first team in the same competition on 9 November 2004 against Everton, a game in which he also made two assists,[13] and produced a similarly impressive performance against Reading during the Gunners' 2005–06 League Cup run.[14]

However, he failed to break through to regular first-team selection. Although he appreciated training alongside and learning from players such as Thierry Henry and Dennis Bergkamp, and accepted the need for patience,[15] once Arsenal boosted their forward line in the January 2006 transfer window by signing Togo's Emmanuel Adebayor and rising star Theo Walcott, Quincy recognised that he needed to leave.[16]

Spartak Moscow

Quincy in action for Spartak Moscow

Quincy signed for Russian club Spartak Moscow for an undisclosed fee on 31 January 2006.[17]

Celta de Vigo (loan)

In June 2007, it was reported that Premier League club Birmingham City had expressed interest in Quincy and wanted to bring him back to play in England,[18] but on the final day of the summer 2007 transfer window he joined Spanish side Celta de Vigo on loan for the 2007–08 season with an option to purchase.[19][20] He made 20 appearances in the Segunda División, of which half were as substitute, and scored five goals,[21] though he missed several weeks of the season on international duty at the 2008 African Cup of Nations.

Birmingham City (loan)

On 6 August 2008, Quincy joined Birmingham City on loan, initially until January 2009, but with the intention of extending the loan for the rest of the season. An option was included to purchase the player outright at that point.[22] He made his debut as a second-half substitute in the first-round League Cup match against Wycombe Wanderers, scoring the fourth goal in a 4–0 win with a fine finish from 18 yards.[23] He then went on to score crucial league goals against Cardiff City[24] and Derby County.[25] The initial loan was not extended past January 2009, manager Alex McLeish suggesting that financial considerations might have come into play.[26]

Cardiff City (loan)

Quincy had trialed with Premier League side Tottenham Hotspur later in the month of January 2009,[27] but went on to sign for Cardiff City of the Football League Championship on loan until the end of the 2008–09 season, again with the option of making the switch permanent at that point.[28] He made his debut for the club on 25 February as a late substitute for Chris Burke in a 0–0 draw with Queens Park Rangers,[29] but made only three more substitute appearances for the club during the remainder of the season before returning to Moscow.[30]

Reportedly "available for a small fee", he trained with Championship side Bristol City for ten days in August 2009, but no deal was forthcoming.[31][32]

Portsmouth (loan)

On 27 January 2010, Quincy signed for Premier League side Portsmouth on loan for the rest of the 2009–10 season,[33] and made his debut in the defeat at Manchester City four days later, coming on as a late substitute for Hayden Mullins.[34] As a second-half substitute in Portsmouth's fifth-round FA Cup-tie against local rivals Southampton, Quincy made a decisive impact, scoring the opening goal with a "low and precise finish" before setting up two further goals as Portsmouth won 4–1.[35]

Al-Sadd

In late March, Spartak were reported to have repaid Portsmouth half the loan fee of £500,000 to terminate the loan agreement early,[36] and on 31 March, Quincy signed a three-year contract with Qatari club Al-Sadd.[3]

Málaga CF (loan)

By the summer of 2010, Quincy was playing for La Liga club Málaga during their pre-season tour of Germany, and on 20 August, signed for the club on loan for the 2010–11 season.[37] He scored his first goal for the club, and had an assist, as Málaga beat Real Zaragoza 5–3 in the second week of the season.[38]

Panathinaikos

Quincy joined Super League Greece club Panathinaikos in July 2011 on a one-year loan.[39] After of some actions of Panathinaikos management in 2012 transfer period, Quincy finally came to sign a three-year contract with the team. The player was happy to his return[40] and work under the instructions of Jesualdo Ferreira.[41]

Boavista

After unsuccessful trials at Crystal Palace and Real Valladolid,[42][43] Quincy signed a one-year contract with Portuguese Primeira Liga club Boavista on 27 August 2014.[44] His contract was terminated by mutual consent in February 2015;[45] he made eleven appearances in all competitions, and scored once, in the Taça da Liga.[46]

Search for a new club

After his release from Boavista, Quincy began searching for a new club. Negotiations between Quincy and Iraqi club Al Shorta SC broke down, before he failed a trial at Eredivisie club SC Cambuur.[47] He then went on trial at fellow Dutch club SC Heerenveen,[48] but was refused a contract by them too.[49] Since 10 July 2016, he has been on trial at Dutch club NEC Nijmegen.[50]

NEC

On 25 July 2016 he signed a 1-year contract at NEC Nijmegen.[51]

International career

Netherlands youth teams

Quincy appeared at the 2005 FIFA World Youth Championship for the Netherlands national under-21 football team, the Jong Oranje in the summer of 2005. In the first game against Japan he set up Ryan Babel for a close range goal.[52] Though the Netherlands crashed out of the tournament in the quarter-finals after a penalty shoot-out against Nigeria,[53] Described by FIFA.com as "a bit special... full of power, pace and bags of sumptuous skill", Quincy was profiled as one of the Best Players of that FIFA U20 Championship.[54]

Quincy was a member of the Netherlands' junior sides since he was 15, progressing through all the way to the U21 side. He played his last game for them on 14 November 2006 in a 0–1 international friendly home loss to England Under-21's in Alkmaar.

Switch to Ghana

In January 2007, Quincy went to Ghana to meet with Ghana Football Association (GFA) officials and discuss his role in Ghanaian football with specific reference to switching allegiance to that country's national team.[55] Ghana had hoped to persuade him to represent them at the 2006 FIFA World Cup in Germany, but his previous appearances for his native country at youth level precluded that.[55] As a result of the talks, Quincy pledged his senior international future to Ghana, and coach Claude Le Roy named him in the squad for the February friendly against Nigeria in February.[56] However, FIFA was yet to approve Quincy's request for a switch of nationality,[57] and he was not released by Spartak Moscow, prompting a complaint to FIFA by Ghana's national coach.[58] Although called up for Ghana's match against Austria in March 2007, Quincy did not play but did confirm that he would be playing for Ghana in the future.[59]

On 18 December 2007, Quincy was called up by Ghana as part of the 40-man squad[60] for their two-week training camp in Dubai ahead of the 2008 African Cup of Nations.[61] He later told Spanish media that he was very happy to receive the call-up.[62] On 10 January 2008, FIFA approved Quincy's request to switch to Ghana[5] – his team-mates threw water over him in celebration[63] – and he was duly selected for Ghana's 2008 African Cup of Nations squad.[57] He was a member of the team that defeated Nigeria on 3 February to advance to the semi-finals,[64] and scored his first international goal in the third-place match of the 2008 African Cup of Nations, in which Ghana defeated Côte d'Ivoire 4–2.[65]

Quincy was named in the 30-man squad for to prepare for the 2010 World Cup in South Africa. He joined his Ghanaian team mates for pre-World Cup training in France. On 30 May 2010, he was selected as part of the 23-man squad for the world cup tournament scheduled to be played in South Africa. On 5 June, he scored Ghana's one goal victory over Latvia in their last warm-up match at Stadium mk in Milton Keynes, England.

Career statistics

Club

As of 22 January 2012
Club Season League Cup Europe Total
AppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoals
Arsenal 2003–04 – – 3 0 – – 3 0
2004–05 1 0 5 1 1 0 7 1
2005–06 4 0 5 1 4 0 13 1
Total 5 0 13 2 5 0 23 2
Spartak Moscow 2006 15 1 7 0 5 0 27 1
2007 6 0 3 0 – – 9 0
2009 8 2 – – – – 8 2
Total 29 3 10 0 5 0 36 3
Celta de Vigo 2007–08 21 4 – – – – 21 4
Birmingham City 2008–09 19 2 2 1 – – 21 3
Cardiff City 2008–09 5 0 – – – – 5 0
Portsmouth 2009–10 10 0 1 1 – – 11 1
Málaga 2010–11 25 2 1 1 – – 26 3
Panathinaikos 2011–12 30 5 2 0 3 0 35 5
2012–13 13 0 1 0 5 0 19 0
Total 43 5 3 0 8 0 54 5
Career Total 157 16 30 5 18 0 197 21

International

As of 9 April 2013[66]
Ghana national team
YearAppsGoals
2008121
200900
201051
201110
Total182

International goals

Goals Date Venue Opponent Score Result Competition
1 3 February 2008 Baba Yara Stadium, Kumasi  Ivory Coast
2–2
4–2
2008 Africa Cup of Nations
2 5 June 2010 Stadium:mk, Milton Keynes, England  Latvia
1–0
1–0
Friendly

Personal life

Quincy is a cousin of rapper Sway.[67]

References

  1. ↑ Hugman, Barry, ed. (2005). The PFA Footballers' Who's Who 2005/2006. Queen Anne Press. p. 311. ISBN 978-1-85291-662-6.
  2. ↑ "Player Profile: Quincy Owusu-Abeyie". Birmingham City F.C.
  3. 1 2 "Quincy in Al-Sadd for 3 seasons". Al-Sadd Sports Club. 31 March 2010. Retrieved 2010-04-01.
  4. ↑ Ibrahim Sannie (4 May 2007). "Abeyie applies to play for Ghana". BBC Sport. Retrieved 2008-08-05.
  5. 1 2 Nana Obiri Yeboah and Michael Boateng (10 January 2008). "FIFA approves Quincy's switch". Ghana FA. Archived from the original on 2008-01-11. Retrieved 2008-01-10.
  6. ↑ "Football without borders in the Lowlands". FIFA. 30 June 2005. Retrieved 2008-08-05.
  7. ↑ Steve Stammers (3 March 2005). "Quincy learns lessons the hard way". Evening Standard. Retrieved 2008-08-07.
  8. 1 2 Steve Stammers (20 January 2004). "Quincy set to capitalise on Boro's weakness". Evening Standard. Retrieved 2008-08-05.
  9. ↑ John Curtis (20 January 2004). "Wenger to use novice attack for final step". The Independent. London. Retrieved 2008-08-05.
  10. ↑ Russell Kempson (25 January 2005). "Arsenal may appeal against FA fine". The Times. London. Retrieved 2008-08-05.
  11. ↑ "Owusu-Abeyie signs Arsenal deal". BBC Sport. 1 July 2005. Retrieved 2005-07-01.
  12. ↑ Matt Scott (29 October 2003). "Aliadiere stakes Arsenal claims". The Guardian. London. Retrieved 2008-08-05.
  13. ↑ John Ley (10 November 2004). "Youth brigade cheer up Arsenal". The Daily Telegraph. London. Retrieved 2008-08-05.
  14. ↑ "Arsenal 3–0 Reading". ESPNsoccernet. 29 November 2005. Retrieved 2008-08-05.
  15. ↑ Gerrit van Leeuwen (18 August 2005). "Quincy wants Gunners chance". Sky Sports. Retrieved 2008-08-05.
  16. ↑ Paul Higham (1 February 2006). "Quincy relishing Spartak chance". Sky Sports. Retrieved 2008-08-05.
  17. ↑ "Moscow move for Arsenal youngster". BBC Sport. 31 January 2006. Retrieved 2006-01-31.
  18. ↑ Peter O'Rourke (1 July 2007). "Blues eye former Gunner". Sky Sports. Retrieved 2007-06-28.
  19. ↑ "Owusu-Abeyie joins Celta Vigo". BBC Sport. 2 September 2007. Retrieved 2007-09-02.
  20. ↑ "La plantilla elogia el rendimiento de Quincy" [The squad praise Quincy's performance]. Marca (in Spanish). 12 December 2007. Retrieved 2010-09-30. El pasado mes de agosto, el Celta consiguió su cesión con opción de compra al borde de la hora de cierre del mercado. (Last August, Celta signed him on loan with an option to purchase as the transfer window was closing)
  21. ↑ "R.C. Celta – Liga adelante: Squad season 2007–2008". Liga de Fútbol Profesional. Retrieved 2010-09-30.
  22. ↑ "Quincy wings in". Birmingham City F.C. 6 August 2008. Retrieved 2008-08-06.
  23. ↑ "Wycombe 0–4 Birmingham". BBC Sport. 13 August 2008. Retrieved 2008-08-14.
  24. ↑ "Cardiff 1–2 Birmingham". BBC Sport. 27 September 2008. Retrieved 2009-11-06.
  25. ↑ "Derby 1–1 Birmingham". BBC Sport. 30 September 2008. Retrieved 2009-11-06.
  26. ↑ "Quincy leaves Blues". Birmingham City F.C. 5 January 2009. Retrieved 2009-01-05. His deal was an expensive one for just one player and we will now look to use the money to bring in new faces.
  27. ↑ "Quincy has Tottenham trial". MTN Football. 5 January 2009. Retrieved 2009-01-16.
  28. ↑ "Owusu-Abeyie seals Cardiff move". BBC Sport. 31 January 2009. Retrieved 2009-01-31.
  29. ↑ "Cardiff 0–0 QPR". BBC Sport. 25 February 2009. Retrieved 2009-03-04.
  30. ↑ "Cardiff City set to offer skipper's armband to Roger Johnson". South Wales Echo. 15 May 2009. Retrieved 2009-05-15.
  31. ↑ "Duo Training With City". Bristol City F.C. 24 August 2009. Retrieved 2009-08-24.
  32. ↑ "Departure For Trialist Pair". Bristol City F.C. 1 September 2009. Retrieved 2009-09-01.
  33. ↑ "Portsmouth sign ex-Arsenal striker Quincy Owusu-Abeyie". BBC Sport. 28 January 2010. Retrieved 2010-01-28.
  34. ↑ Soneji, Pranav (31 January 2010). "Man City 2–0 Portsmouth". BBC Sport. Retrieved 2010-02-01.
  35. ↑ McNulty, Phil (13 February 2010). "Southampton 1–4 Portsmouth". BBC Sport. Retrieved 2010-02-15.
  36. ↑ "Quincy Owusu-Abeyie set to leave Portsmouth for Qatar". BBC Sport. 31 March 2010. Retrieved 2010-04-01.
  37. ↑ "Quincy Owusu-Abeyie has become Málaga Club de Fútbol's seventh new incorporation". Málaga CF. 20 August 2010. Retrieved 2010-09-11.
  38. ↑ "Report: Real Zaragoza 3–5 Málaga". ESPNsoccernet. 12 September 2010. Retrieved 2010-09-20.
  39. ↑ "Announcement: Quincy joins Panathinaikos FC". Panathinaikos FC. 20 July 2011. Retrieved 2011-08-04.
  40. ↑ "Announcement: Quincy can not wait to join Panathinaikos FC". Leoforos.gr. 9 August 2012. Retrieved 2012-08-09.
  41. ↑ "Announcement: Only Panathinaikos in my heart and mind!". Leoforos.gr. 15 August 2012. Retrieved 2012-08-15.
  42. ↑ "Sunderland eye Quincy Owusu-Abeyie transfer as he waits for Crystal Palace offer". Mirror UK. 31 July 2013. Retrieved 30 August 2015.
  43. ↑ "Ghana winger Quincy Owusu-Abeyie fails to land contract after Valladolid trials". Modern Ghana. 12 March 2014. Retrieved 31 August 2015.
  44. ↑ "Quincy Owusu-Abeyie é jogador do Boavista" [Quincy Owusu-Abeyie is a Boavista player] (in Portuguese). Boavista F.C. 27 August 2014. Retrieved 28 August 2014.
  45. ↑ "Comunicado" [Press release] (in Portuguese). Boavista F.C. 24 February 2015. Retrieved 12 April 2015.
  46. ↑ "Quincy". ForaDeJogo. Retrieved 12 April 2015.
  47. ↑ "Quincy Owusu-Abeyie fails trial at Dutch Club Cambuur". Peace FM. Retrieved 23 April 2016.
  48. ↑ "Will Owusu-Abeyie earn a contract in the Eredivisie?". SoccerNews. Retrieved 23 April 2016.
  49. ↑ "Quincy Owusu-Abeyie denied Heerenveen contract". GhanaWeb. Retrieved 8 July 2016.
  50. ↑ "Quincy Owusu-Abeyie on trial at NEC". de Gelderlander. Retrieved 12 July 2016.
  51. ↑ "Quincy Owusu-Abeyie signed at NEC". N.E.C. Retrieved 25 July 2016.
  52. ↑ "Dutch overcome late nerves to sink Japan". FIFA.com. 10 June 2005. Archived from the original on 13 June 2005. Retrieved 2005-06-10.
  53. ↑ "Young Oranje go out with a bang". FIFA.com. 27 June 2005. Archived from the original on 15 May 2006. Retrieved 2005-06-27.
  54. ↑ "Fourteen nuggets in Netherlands". FIFA.com. 19 June 2005. Archived from the original on 22 June 2005. Retrieved 2005-06-19.
  55. 1 2 "Owusu-Abeyie to play for Ghana?". Ghanaweb. 5 January 2007. Retrieved 2007-01-05.
  56. ↑ Sannie, Ibrahim (24 January 2007). "Owusu-Abeyie opts for Ghana". BBC. Retrieved 2007-01-24.
  57. 1 2 Sannie, Ibrahim (11 January 2008). "Owusu-Abeyie in Ghana squad". BBC Sport. Retrieved 2008-08-05.
  58. ↑ "Ghana complaint may lead to FIFA sanctions for Beitar". Ghanaweb. 7 February 2007. Retrieved 2016-05-10.
  59. ↑ "Quincy koos definitief voor Ghana". voetbalkrant.com. 5 April 2007. Retrieved 2007-04-05.
  60. ↑ "Owusu-Abeyie called up for Ghana". BBC Sports. 18 December 2007. Retrieved 2007-12-18.
  61. ↑ "Le Roy calls up 40 players". Ghanafa.org. 18 December 2007. Archived from the original on 20 December 2007. Retrieved 2007-12-18.
  62. ↑ "Quincy puede causar baja un mes si va a la Copa África con Ghana". Faro de Vigo. 18 December 2007. Retrieved 2007-12-18.
  63. ↑ "Quincy switch excites Ghana camp". Ghana FA. 10 January 2008. Retrieved 2008-01-10.
  64. ↑ "Ghana 2–1 Nigeria". ESPNsoccernet. 3 February 2008. Retrieved 2008-02-03.
  65. ↑ "Ghana produce six-star performance". Ghana FA. 9 February 2008. Retrieved 2010-09-30.
  66. ↑ "Owusu-Abeyie, Quincy". National Football Teams. Retrieved 9 April 2013.
  67. ↑ "Rap fan Quincy gives Brum rhythm". The Football League. 16 October 2008. Retrieved 2011-12-08.
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