Former Ghana and Inter Milan midfielder Sulley Ali Muntari has announced his retirement from professional football at the age of 38, ending an illustrious career that spanned over 20 years.
It comes just after he pl lolayed half a season with Ghanaian Premier League side Accra Hearts of Oak, where he won both the President Cup and the MTN FA Cup.
In his professional career, which began in 2001, the Konongo-Zongo-born Muntari won the UEFA Champions League, the Italian Scudetto, as well as the English FA Cup.
“I just did a few months with the local side [Hearts of Oak]. My son wanted me to play. I didn’t play for almost three years, then my son decided to ask me to go and play. I did that, but now I’m done,” Muntari said to Sky Sports on Monday.
Muntari, who earned 80 caps for the Black Stars and scored 20 goals, has been without a club since leaving Ghana Premier League side Hearts of Oak in the summer.
He began his career at local side Liberty Professionals before joining Serie A club Udinese, where he played for five years.
The 2010 Champions League winner also had stints with AC Milan, Inter Milan, and English Premier League sides Portsmouth and Sunderland.
Muntari featured for Ghana between 2002 and 2014 and was key to the country’s qualification for the World Cup in Germany (2006), South Africa (2010), and Brazil (2014).
He was part of the 2001 Black Satellite team that won silver in the world FIFA Under-20 tournament in Argentina.
It is unclear what the former Sunderland man will do after hanging his boots. He is currently in the camp of the Black Stars at the ongoing 2022 World Cup in Qatar
