Ghanaian forward Felix Afena-Gyan marked his long-awaited return to the national team on Saturday, featuring in the Black Stars’ emphatic 4-0 win over Trinidad and Tobago in the third-place playoff of the 2025 Unity Cup at the G-Tech Stadium in Brentford, West London.
The 21-year-old made his first appearance for Ghana in nearly three years, having last featured in a friendly against Brazil in September 2022 — a gap of 981 days. He came on as a second-half substitute, making his return to international football in a match that highlighted Ghana’s attacking dominance.
Afena-Gyan’s inclusion represents a new chapter in his international career following a prolonged absence from the national team setup. Now playing for Juventus Next Gen in Italy, the former AS Roma striker showed glimpses of his pace and attacking movement, linking up well with teammates and posing a threat to the Trinidad and Tobago backline, although he was unable to find the net.
Ghana had already established a commanding 3-0 lead by halftime, thanks to goals from Jordan Ayew, Razak Simpson, and debutant Mohammed Fuseini, who marked his first international start with a composed finish. Midfielder Lawrence Agyekum added a fourth just before the hour mark, capitalizing on a goalkeeping error to seal the win.
Afena-Gyan’s return comes at a time when head coach Otto Addo is blending youth with experience in a bid to rejuvenate the squad after Ghana’s failure to qualify for the upcoming Africa Cup of Nations. His reintroduction into the setup is seen as a positive step toward building a competitive team for future qualifiers and international competitions.
The win secured Ghana a third-place finish in the Unity Cup and offered encouraging signs of growing depth and potential within the squad — with Afena-Gyan’s return adding further strength to the Black Stars’ attacking options.
