1. Jonathan Mensah previously played for Ashanti Gold, Free State Stars, Granada, Evian, Anzhi Makhachkala, Columbus Crew, San Jose Earthquakes, and New England Revolution.
51 Facts About Jonathan Mensah
1. 2.
Jonathan Mensah found playing time to be fleeting in France, appearing in only 60 games in five seasons.
3.
Jonathan Mensah left Anzhi after just 19 appearances joining his Ghanaian compatriot Harrison Afful at Columbus Crew SC.
4.
Jonathan Mensah became the fifth Designated Player in Crew SC history.
5.
At international level, Jonathan Mensah helped Ghana to championships at the 2009 African Youth Championship and the 2009 FIFA U-20 World Cup.
6.
Jonathan Mensah appeared for Ghana at the 2010 and 2014 World Cups, and was a part of the squads that reached the semifinals at five consecutive Africa Cup of Nations.
7.
Jonathan Mensah captained his nation for the first time in a World Cup qualifier against Congo on 5 September 2017.
8.
Jonathan Mensah joined South African club Free State Stars in September 2008, moving to Ea Lla Koto alongside his 'AshGold' teammate David Telfer.
9.
Jonathan Mensah turned down offers from other Greek clubs to go on trial, and instead returned to South Africa.
10.
Jonathan Mensah appeared fourteen times before the winter break, but Ea Lla Koto struggled in those games, winning just three of those fourteen when he was in the squad.
11.
Jonathan Mensah received interest from multiple European clubs ahead of the January 2010 transfer window, notably Serie A club Udinese and Bordeaux of Ligue 1.
12.
However, before he had even arrived at Udinese, it was rumored that Jonathan Mensah was to be immediately loaned out, with Udinese's feeder club Granada the apparent destination.
13.
In January 2010, after joining Udinese, Jonathan Mensah moved on loan to Spanish club Granada.
14.
Jonathan Mensah made 15 appearances on the season, scoring once, as Granada won the promotion play-offs and were promoted to La Liga for the first time in 35 years.
15.
On 8 July 2011, Jonathan Mensah moved to newly promoted Ligue 1 side Evian, signing a four-year contract with the French club for an undisclosed fee.
16.
However, Jonathan Mensah did not play again on the season, as he aggravated a thigh injury while on international duty and remained on the sidelines until August 2012.
17.
Jonathan Mensah appeared 12 times overall, playing six games each for the first team and the reserves.
18.
Jonathan Mensah returned to the team for the final seven matches of the season, helping Evian avoid relegation by four points.
19.
Jonathan Mensah promptly fell out of the Evian squad following that sending off, first suffering from a hamstring injury and then getting called up by Ghana for the 2015 Africa Cup of Nations.
20.
Jonathan Mensah appeared in twelve games for Evian, scoring once as the club were relegated to the second tier.
21.
On 19 May 2015, Jonathan Mensah was banned for four months by FIFA in a breach of contract case.
22.
Jonathan Mensah instead re-signed with Evian on a new deal after his initial four-year contract had expired.
23.
Jonathan Mensah started each of the last three games of the season, from which Anzhi claimed seven points, helping the club advance to 13th and into a relegation playoff against Volgar Astrakhan of the Russian Football National League.
24.
Jonathan Mensah did make his debut in the Russian Cup with a start against Mordovia Saransk in the round of 32.
25.
Midway through the winter break, Jonathan Mensah was rumored to be departing Anzhi permanently, with American club Columbus Crew SC the reported destination.
26.
That move would come to fruition three days into 2017; Jonathan Mensah departed Anzhi after appearing just nineteen times for the Eagles.
27.
Jonathan Mensah became the second DP on the Columbus roster at the time, alongside Federico Higuain.
28.
Jonathan Mensah made 31 appearances in his first season in MLS, tallying two goals.
29.
Jonathan Mensah remained on the leadership council ahead of the 2018 season, this time joined by Ricardo Clark, Higuain, Hector Jimenez, Zack Steffen, and Williams.
30.
Jonathan Mensah played every single minute of every single match during the 2020 season; en route to an MLS Cup victory over Seattle Sounders FC.
31.
Jonathan Mensah led the club to their first trophy in twelve years, whilst becoming the first African to captain his side to an MLS Cup.
32.
On 4 January 2024, Jonathan Mensah reunited with former head coach Caleb Porter at New England Revolution, who he joined as a free agent after leaving San Jose at the end of their 2023 season.
33.
Jonathan Mensah made his debut in the Ghanaian international setup at the 2009 African Youth Championship, where he earned his first three youth international caps and helped the Ghana U20s claim their third-ever continental title.
34.
Jonathan Mensah was then called up for the 2009 FIFA U-20 World Cup, first being named to the provisional squad and then selected as part of the final roster.
35.
Jonathan Mensah appeared in six of the Black Satellites' seven matches at the tournament, marshaling the defense as Ghana went all the way to the final.
36.
Jonathan Mensah had his kick in the shoot-out saved by Rafael, but was bailed out when Daniel Agyei saved each of the next three Brazilian kicks.
37.
Jonathan Mensah finished his eligibility at U20 level having appeared nine times.
38.
Thanks to his youth performances, Jonathan Mensah was called up for the first time to the Ghana senior team; he made his debut for the Black Stars against Uganda on 31 May 2009.
39.
Jonathan Mensah was included in the squad for the 2010 Africa Cup of Nations, although he did not make an appearance as Ghana went to the final before being defeated by Egypt.
40.
Jonathan Mensah did enough to earn a call-up to the 2010 FIFA World Cup, where he was given the number 8 shirt usually worn by Michael Essien.
41.
Jonathan Mensah would go on to play two out of three group stage games, as well as the round of 16 win against the United States.
42.
Jonathan Mensah established himself as a starter following the World Cup, including scoring his first goal for Ghana in a friendly against Togo on 8 February 2011.
43.
Jonathan Mensah was named to the squad to appear at the 2012 Africa Cup of Nations, the final edition of the tournament in even-numbered years before being moved to avoid conflicts with the World Cup.
44.
Jonathan Mensah was again named in the squad a year later, called up for the 2013 Africa Cup of Nations alongside his club teammate Mohammed Rabiu.
45.
However, Jonathan Mensah played just once during the tournament, as a halftime substitute in the third place play-off to replace Boye.
46.
On 12 May 2014, Jonathan Mensah was named in Ghana's 30-man preliminary squad for the 2014 FIFA World Cup; he was then named to the final squad on 2 June.
47.
Jonathan Mensah started every match at the tournament for the Black Stars, although they failed to advance out of the group with a record of one draw and two defeats.
48.
Two years later, at the 2017 Africa Cup of Nations, Jonathan Mensah was initially named to the preliminary squad on 2 January; one day later, he left camp to complete a transfer move to Columbus Crew.
49.
Jonathan Mensah appeared five times during the qualification cycle for the Black Stars, including both games in the second round against the Comoros.
50.
Jonathan Mensah is known to be a devout Christian who reads Psalms before every game.
51.
Jonathan Mensah is friends with fellow Christian footballers Christian Atsu and Odion Ighalo.