Nelson Mensah
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| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | Nelson Samuel Mensah | ||
| Date of birth | 7 December 1973 | ||
| Place of birth | Accra, Ghana | ||
| Position | Forward | ||
| Senior career* | |||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) |
| 1992–1993 | Dinamo București | 21 | (5) |
| 1993–1994 | Hapoel Tel Aviv | 13 | (1) |
| Total | 34 | (6) | |
| International career | |||
| 1993 | Ghana U20 | 2 | (0) |
| 1991–1993 | Ghana | 2 | (1) |
| * Club domestic league appearances and goals | |||
Nelson Samuel Mensah (born 7 December 1973) is a Ghanaian former professional footballer who played as a forward.[1] He was the first African to play in Romania's top league.
Mensah was born on 7 December 1973 in Accra, Ghana.[2][3] In the middle of the 1991–92 season, he joined Dinamo București, becoming one of the first foreign players and the first African to arrive in Romania after the 1989 Revolution.[2][4][5] On 8 March 1992, he made his Divizia A debut when coach Florin Halagian sent him in the 85th minute to replace Gábor Gerstenmájer, netting a goal one minute later in a 4–0 win over Petrolul Ploiești.[6] He finished the season with 12 appearances and two goals scored, as the club won the title undefeated.[2][6][7] In the following season, Mensah helped them advance past Kuusysi Lahti in the first round of the 1992–93 Champions League.[2][8][9] Dinamo faced Olympique Marseille in the second round, where they drew 0–0 in the first leg but lost the subsequent game with 2–0, the French ultimately winning the competition.[9] In the same season he scored three goals in three league victories against Rapid București, Petrolul and Sportul Studențesc București.[2][8] Subsequently, Mensah joined Hapoel Tel Aviv, making 13 appearances and scoring once in the 1993–94 Liga Leumit season.[2][10]
International career
Mensah played two games for Ghana's under-20 team in the 1993 World Youth Championship, and both were draws against Uruguay and Germany in the group stage.[2][11]
Mensah debuted for Ghana in a 1–0 victory against Nigeria during the 1991 CEDEAO Cup, scoring the goal.[2][10] His second game was a friendly where he came as a substitute in a 2–0 victory against Indonesia.[2][10]
Controversy
On 6 June 1993, Mensah was attacked following Dinamo's match against Progresul București.[2] After the game, while leaving the stadium, he was attacked by several players of Progresul, with Leonard Strizu and Cosmin Olăroiu being the most aggressive.[2] Subsequently, Mensah was hospitalized due to his injuries.[2]
