1. John Mensah was born on November 29,1982 and is a former Ghanaian professional footballer who last played as a defender for AFC United in the Swedish second-tier.
44 Facts About John Mensah
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John Mensah's physique has earned him the moniker "Rock of Gibraltar", and Mensah was considered a certainty to be named to Ghana's squad for the 2006 FIFA World Cup.
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John Mensah then spent two years at Swiss side Bellinzona, where he honed his talents, and despite his lack of speed, many scouts have overlooked his talent.
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John Mensah went on to make fourteen appearances in all competitions.
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However, John Mensah continued to find his first team opportunities at the club limited throughout the season.
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Since making his debut for the club, John Mensah quickly established himself in the starting eleven for the side.
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John Mensah later made fourteen appearances for the side and returned to his parent club.
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However, following another uneventful move to Cremonese, John Mensah came to the conclusion a new stable environment was what was required to kick-start his somehow journey-man career.
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On 31 January 2006, during the winter transfer window, John Mensah moved to French Ligue 1 club Rennes on loan after having played in Italy for most of his career, at the behest of their former player Philippe Redon, who brought him to fill the gap in defence caused by an injury to Abdeslam Ouaddou.
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John Mensah then helped the side keep four consecutive clean sheets between 11 March 2006 and 31 March 2006.
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High-level performances in the league convinced Rennes to make the loan deal permanent in April 2006, which John Mensah signed a three-year contract with the side.
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Since making his return from injury, John Mensah's performance led the club's website published an article on John Mensah's impact on his new team.
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John Mensah then followed up with the next three matches by keeping three consecutive clean sheets between 24 January 2007 and 3 February 2007.
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John Mensah was linked with a transfer to Wigan Athletic.
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John Mensah was made Rennes' team captain in January 2008 until his exit that summer.
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On 26 April 2007, it was reported in the French media that John Mensah was being seriously scouted by Lyon with a view to making a move for him in that summer's transfer window.
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On 18 June 2008, new Lyon head coach Claude Puel made it his priority to sign John Mensah to replace centre-back Sebastien Squillaci, who departed to Sevilla in La Liga.
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Negotiations continued for the following four weeks, and on 15 July 2008, Lyon's special adviser Bernard Lacombe contacted John Mensah and negotiated a five-year contract with him.
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John Mensah was presented to the media at 20:00 that day.
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John Mensah took the number 15 shirt, and became the third Ghanaian player to ever play for Lyon, after Abedi Pele and Essien.
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John Mensah continued to spend the second half of the season on the substitutes' bench or out injured.
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John Mensah spoke out about racism and told L'Equipe it not only left him homesick, but affected his career.
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John Mensah's sending-off was upheld and miss one match ban by the Ligue de Football Professionnel Disciplinary Committee.
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Six days later on 21 August 2009, John Mensah successfully passed his medical and, one week later, was awarded his work permit by the Court of Arbitration for Sport, officially completing the move.
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However, John Mensah's start to his Sunderland career has been hampered with the constant reoccurrence of a calf injury.
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John Mensah became a favourite amongst the Sunderland faithful, but his injury problems meant he would struggle to play much in the upcoming season.
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However, during a match against Bolton Wanderers on 18 December 2010, John Mensah suffered an injury in the 21st minute, leading him to be substituted and was sidelined for a month.
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On 2 January 2013, after having his Lyon contract terminated, John Mensah returned as a free agent to Rennes, signing a six-month contract.
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John Mensah spoke in an interview with BBC Sport that his second spell with the club would give him a chance to revive his football career.
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John Mensah made his Corgon liga debut for Nitra during a home fixture against Slovan Bratislava, on 10 March 2014.
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John Mensah was featured in the starting-XI but was replaced by Lukas Kutra after 45 minutes.
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John Mensah concluded his spell in Slovakia without a single goal or a contribution.
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Two years later, John Mensah moved to Sweden to sign for AFC United.
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John Mensah was included in the Ghana national under-20 team squad for the 2001 FIFA World Youth Championship in Argentina.
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John Mensah's senior debut for Ghana was against Algeria on 5 December 2001, just after his 19th birthday, on the eve of the 2002 African Cup of Nations finals in Mali, a tournament at which his aerial ability was a prominent feature of Ghana's play.
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John Mensah was solidity personified during Ghana's successful qualifying campaign for the 2006 FIFA World Cup.
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John Mensah was called up to the Ghana squad for the FIFA World Cup in Germany.
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In January 2008, John Mensah was called up to the Ghana squad for the Africa Cup of Nations.
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John Mensah then helped the side progress through to the knockout stage after keeping two clean sheets against Namibia and Morocco.
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In May 2010, John Mensah was called up to the Ghana squad for the FIFA World Cup in South Africa.
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In December 2011, John Mensah was named to the Ghana's squad for the 2012 Africa Cup of Nations, which was co-hosted by Equatorial Guinea and Gabon.
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In February 2002, John Mensah is married and together, they have four children.
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John Mensah is the half-brother of Ghana national team player Ekow Benson and has two sisters and brothers.
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Mensah's father John Attu Mensah was a footballer who played for Cambridge United and the Ghana senior team, he died in June 2021.