Who is Mohammed Kudus? Kudus Mohammed is a Ghanaian International Footballer. He is an energetic and skillful midfielder who plays football for the Ghana National Team and the English professional football club West Ham United. Kudus is a former player of the Danish football Club Nordsjælland and the ninth youngest debutant in the history of the Club. In February 2020, he signed his first partnership deal, an international partnership deal with one of the leading sportswear manufacturers in the world, PUMA.
Short Profile of Mohammed Kudus
Real name: Kudus Mohammed
Date of Birth: August 2, 2000
Age: 23 years old
Nationality: Ghanaian
Profession: Footballer
Position: Midfielder
Height: 5 ft 10ins
Kit number: 14
Place of Birth: Kpongiri, Savannah Region
Hometown: Kpongiri, Savannah Region
Tribe: Gonja
Religion: Islam
Instagram: @kudus_Mohammed
Twitter(X): @KudusMohammedGH
Facebook: Kudus Mohammed
Early Life & Family Background
Kudus Mohammed was born in Kpongiri in the Sawla-Tuna-Kalba District in the Savannah Region of Ghana on August 2, 2000. He is 23 years old and comes from Kpongiri, Savannah Region. He was brought to Nima, Accra, at a young age after his parents, his father, Mahama, and his mother, Mariama Suleman, separated. Kudus stayed in his family house in Nima and later in his Uncle Suleman Iddrisu Kudus’ house, and he was raised by his grandmother, Abiba Suleman, and his mother, Mariama. It was at Nima that he started to play football. He has brothers and younger sisters.
Parents
Kudus’ father is called Mahama. He is from Kpongiri in the Savannah Region. Kudus’ mother is Mariama Suleman. She is a native of Nahari in the Upper West Region. However, she lived in Kpongiri.
Siblings
Kudus has stepsisters and brothers from the same parents.
Wife & Children
He is not married and has no children.
Girlfriend
N/A
Educational Background
He started his education in Kpongiri and came to continue at Nima, a Suburb of Accra. He also received a little education when he joined the Right to Dream Academy in the Eastern Region of Ghana.
Role Model
Thiago Alcantara.
Read also: Farida Mahama Biography and net worth
Football Journey
Mohammed Kudus came to Nima, Accra, at age seven, and not long he started his football journey. He was playing on the streets of Nima, and one day, Joshua Awuah (Coach Ayuba), the manager of Strong Tower FC at Nima, saw him and invited him to the training grounds of his team, Strong Tower FC. The Pride of Nima was only ten years old when he started playing on the dusty pitch of Strong Tower FC at Kawukudi Park, close to Mamobi, Accra. He joined the team and often went to training with his brothers. Everyone liked Kudus’ style of play on the field, and he performed in various tournaments for his team, Strong Tower FC.
After a few years with Strong Tower FC, a justifier competition dubbed “Books and Boots” was held by an NGO in Nima, and Kudus did well for his team in the tournament. After the competition, a Scout for Right to Dream Academy in Akosombo in the Eastern Region of Ghana decided to sign him from Strong Tower FC. Kudus joined the Right to Dream Academy at age 12 and was part of the squad that went unbeaten during their European tour, winning four trophies, including the Nike World Under 15 Premier Cup. In Mohammed Kudus’ six years at the Right to Dream Academy, the Danish side Nordsjælland showed interest in signing the promising young talent.
Club Career
• FC Nordsjælland
Mohammed Kudus signed for FC Nordsjælland at age 18. The Academy he played for, the Right to Dream Academy in Ghana, has a partnership with the Danish side Nordsjælland, so the club monitored Kudus during his Europe tours with the Academy. He joined Nordsjælland on August 2, 2018, on a five-year deal and became the 9th youngest debutant in the history of the Club after his signing. Three days after he turned 18, the attacking midfielder made his first appearance for Nordsjælland in a 2-0 loss against Brondby IF. He played for Nordsjaelland in many matches and scored 14 goals for the club. With this great performance, in 2020, Ajax Amsterdam decided to sign him from the Danish side.
• AFC Ajax
Kudus signed for AFC Ajax on July 16, 2020, for a reported fee of 9 million euros. He signed a five-year deal with Ajax and made his debut in a club-friendly game against Wolfsberger on August 18, 2020, which ended in a 2-0 victory, and another 4-1 club-friendly win against RB Salzburg on August 22. On August 25, he played in another club-friendly match against Hertha Berlin at the Amsterdam Arena, which ended in a 1-0 win and scored his first goal against Eintracht Frankfurt in a 2-1 victory on August 29. He also played in the last club-friendly game on September 5 against Union Berlin, which ended in a 2-2 draw.
After the club-friendly matches, Mohammed Kudus missed their first game in the 2020/21 Netherlands Eredivisie against Sparta Rotterdam, which ended in a 1-0 win, but on September 20, 2020, he played the second game against RKC Waalwijk, which ended in a 3-0 victory. He played an important role in the team and won the King of the Match award after the game. He played in Ajax’s 2-1 victory game against Vitesse on September 26 and scored a goal in their 4-1 win against Heerenveen on October 18. Kudus won the 2020/21 Netherlands Eredivisie with Ajax.
Mohammed Kudus made his UEFA Champions League debut against Liverpool on October 21, which ended in a 1-0 defeat. A few minutes after Kudus came into the game, he suffered an injury and missed the rest of the 2020/21 UEFA Champions League matches. Five months later, he returned to play in the 2020/2021 KNVB Cup. He played in the game against PSV on January 10, 2021, which ended in a 2-2 draw. He participated in the second quarter-final game against Heracles on February 13, which ended in a 2-0 win, and the first Semifinal match against Heerenveen on March 3, 2021. He also played in the second game against Groningen. Mohammed Kudus won the 2020/2021 KNVB Cup with Ajax.
Kudus featured in the 2020/2021 Europa League and also won the 2021/2022 Netherlands Eredivisie title with Ajax. Subsequently, he played in club friendlies in 2021 and some matches in the 2022/2023 Netherlands Eredivisie. He scored a goal in their 7-1 win game against Excelsior on October 16, and his last match was against FC Emmen on November 12, 2022. He also played the Group Stage matches in the 2022/2023 UEFA Champions League. He scored in their first group stage match against Rangers on September 7, which ended in a 4-0 victory, and the last game he played was against the same Rangers on November 1, 2022, which ended in a 3-1 win. He scored one of Ajax’s goals in the 29′. He participated in the finals of the 2022 Johan Cruyff Shield on July 30, in which he scored a goal in their 5-3 loss against PSV. Mohammed Kudus played 108 matches at AFC Ajax and scored 26 goals before joining his current club, West Ham United.
• West Ham United F.C.
On August 27, 2023, Kudus joined the English professional football club West Ham United on a five-year contract for an undisclosed fee, which was reported to be €44.5m (£38m) plus add-ons. He is the third Ghanaian footballer to play for West Ham, following John Paintsil and Dede Ayew. Mohammed Kudus made his Premier League debut for West Ham United on Friday, September 1, 2023, in a 2 -1 away win against Luton Town at the Kenilworth Road Stadium. He came on as a substitute in the 91st minute. He scored his first goals (two goals) for West Ham United in a group stage game of the 2023-24 UEFA Europa League on September 21, 2023, at home to TSC Bačka Topola. With West Ham 1–0 down, Mo scored in the 66th and 70th minute before Tomáš Souček added a third in the 82nd minute as the game finished 3–1.
On October 9, 2023, Kudus scored his first EPL goal against Newcastle United in the 89th minute to tie the game 2–2. On Wednesday, November 3, 2022, he netted the second goal for West Ham United in the 50th minute against Arsenal in a Carabao Cup fixture, which ended in a 3–1 win. On November 4, 2023, He scored his second premier league goal against Brentford in the 19th minute for his club as the game ended in a 3–2 defeat. He scored his third premier league goal on December 3, 2023, for West Ham against Newcastle United in the 13th minute as the game finished 1-1. In all competitions, Kudus has scored 14 goals for West Ham United F.C.
International Career
Ghana U17
• U17 World Cup Tournament (2017, October 6- October 28)
Kudus played for the Ghana U17 team at the U17 World Cup Tournament in India in 2017. He participated in Ghana’s 1-0 victory against Colombia on October 6, 2017, at the Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium in his number 8 Jersey. He played in Ghana’s 1-0 loss against the USA on October 9 and on October 12 in the Ghana Vs. India match, he came in as a substitute, and Ghana won the game 4-0. On October 23, Mohammed Kudus scored his first goal in the Quarterfinal match against Mail, which Ghana lost 2-1. The Ghana U17 team exited the competition after their Quarterfinal defeat.
Ghana U20
• 2019 Africa U-20 Cup of Nations Qualification – Tournament
In 2018, Mohammed Kudus was named among the Ghana U20 squad for the 2019 Africa U-20 Cup Qualification matches. He played in most of the Qualification matches, and Ghana qualified for the tournament in Niger. On February 4, at the 2019 Africa U-20 Cup of Nations Tournament in Niger, Kudus played in Ghana’s first group B game against Burkina Faso U20, which ended in a 2-0 win. He participated in the second match against Senegal U20, which resulted in a 2-0 loss, and the last group game against Mali, which ended in a 1-0 defeat. Unfortunately, the Ghana U20 team couldn’t make it past the group stage, and in the end, MaliU20 won the tournament.
Ghana (National Team)
Mohammed Kudus made his debut for the Ghana National team on November 14, 2019, in Ghana’s 2021 Africa Qualification match against South Africa at the Cape Coast Sports Stadium in Ghana and scored his first goal for Ghana. The Ghana National team won the game 2-0. He played the second Group C match against Sao Tome and Principe on November 18, 2019, and the second round game against South Africa on March 25, 2021, and scored the only goal for Ghana, which ended in a 1-1 draw.
• 2022 FIFA World Cup Qualification (2021-2022)
Kudus participated in the 2022 FIFA World Cup Qualification matches for Ghana. On October 9, 2021, he played a game against Zimbabwe and scored the first goal for Ghana. The match ended in a 3-1 win. He featured in Ghana’s 1-0 win against South Africa on November 14, and on March 25, 2022, he played a match against Nigeria, which resulted in a 0-0 draw. He also played in the second leg against Nigeria on March 29, 2022, which ended in a 1-1 draw.
• 2023 Africa Cup of Nations Qualification (2022)
On June 1, 2022, Mohammed Kudus played Ghana’s first 2023 Africa Cup of Nations Qualification game against Madagascar, which ended in a 3-0. He scored the first goal for Ghana in the 53′. On June 5, 2022, he scored his fifth goal for Ghana in the 1-1 draw game against the Central African Republic at the Estádio 11 de Novembro.
• Kirin Cup (June 2022)
On June 10, 2022, Japan scored 4-1 against Ghana in a Kirin Cup match, and Mohammed Kudus participated in the game. He also played the game against Chile on June 14, 2022, in which Ghana won 3-1 in a penalty and placed third in the competition.
• 2022 International Friendlies (Brazil Vs. Ghana, Nicaragua Vs. Ghana & Switzerland Vs. Ghana).
Ahead of the 2022 FIFA World Cup Tournament in Qatar, Ghana played three international friendly games. The first game was against Brazil on September 23, 2022, in which Ghana lost 3-0. Kudus participated in the game at the Stade Océane. He played the second friendly game against Nicaragua on September 27, which Ghana won 1-0. However, he missed the last friendlies against Switzerland on November 17, which ended in a 2-0 Victory at the ZSC Stadium in Qatar.
• 2022 FIFA World Cup Tournament
At the 2022 FIFA World Cup, Kudus played against Portugal in Ghana’s first group H match on November 24, which ended in a 3-2 defeat. He participated in the second group game on November 28 against South Korea and netted two goals in Ghana’s 3-2 Victory. He is the first Ghanaian player to score a brace in a single World Cup game. Kudus played in Ghana’s third and last WC game against Uruguay on December 2, 2022, which ended in a 2-0 defeat. Argentina won this tournament.
• African Cup of Nations Qualification 2023
On April 19, 2022, after the 2023 AFCON Qualification draw was held in Johannesburg, South Africa, Ghana was drawn against Angola, Madagascar, and Central African Republic in Group. The teams played against each other in an all-play-all tournament between June 1, 2022, and September 7, 2023. On June 1, 2022, the Black Stars of Ghana first played against Madagascar at the Cape Coast Sports Stadium in the Central Region of Ghana and won by 3-0. Mo featured in the game and scored the first goal for Ghana in the 53.’ The second and third goals were scored by Felix Afena-Gyan and Osman Buakari, respectively, in the 56′ and 86′.
On June 5, 2022, Mo scored the only goal for Ghana in their second match against Central African Republic at the Estádio 11 de Novembro in Belas, Luanda, Angola, which ended in a 1-1 draw. Also, On March 23, 2023, he featured in Ghana’s third 2023 Afcon qualification match against Angola at the Baba Yara Sports Stadium in Kumasi, which ended in a 1-0 win for Ghana. Ghana’s goal was scored by Antoine Serlom Semenyo at the 90+6.’ On March 27, 2023, Ghana played Angola for the second time in the Group E 2023 Afcon qualification tournament at the Estádio 11 de Novembro in Belas, Luanda, Angola, and Kudus featured in the match, but didn’t score. The game ended in a 1-1 draw, with Osman Bukari scoring the goal for Ghana.
On June 18, 2023, Mo played another qualification match for Ghana against Madagascar, the second time with the team at the Mahamasina Municipal Stadium, which ended in a goalless draw (0 – 0). On September 7, 2023, Kudus played in their last Group E Afcon qualifying game against Central Africa Republic at the Baba Yara Sports Stadium, which ended in a 2 – 1 victory. He scored the first goal for Ghana in the 43 minutes, and Nuamah scored the second in the 88′. At the end of Group E qualification matches, Ghana and Angola, the group winners and runners-up, respectively, qualified for the 2023 Africa Cup of Nations in Côte d’Ivoire.
• African Cup of Nations 2023
Mohammed Kudus’s first African Cup of Nations appearance was the 2023 AFCON tournament hosted in Ivory Coast. Although he picked up a minor injury playing for his club, West Ham, against Arsenal in the Premier League on Thursday, December 28, 2023, he decided to play for his home country, Ghana, at the 2023 AFCON.
On January 14, 2024, the Black Stars played their first 2023 AFCON game against Cape Verde at the Stade Félix Houphouët-Boigny in Abidjan, Côte d’Ivoire. The game ended in a 2–1 defeat to Ghana, and Kudus missed this match. However, he played in Ghana’s second game against Egypt on January 18, 2024, and scored a brace. He scored the first goal in the 45+3′ and the second in the 71.’ The match ended in a 2–2 draw, and Mo was awarded the Player of the Match.
Kudus also featured in Ghana’s final group game against Mozambique on January 22, 2024, at the Alassane Ouattara Ebimpé Olympic Stadium, and the game ended in a 2–2 draw with Jordan Ayew scoring the two goals for Ghana. With the performance of the Black Stars of Ghana, they exited from the 2023 African Cup of Nations at the Group Stage. However, Kudus made Ghanaians and his fans worldwide proud of him for his dedication in the two matches he played for Ghana at the 2023 AFCON tournament.
Goals for Ghana
Kudus Mohammed has scored seven (11) goals for Ghana, 6 Africa Cup of Nations Qualification goals, 2 Africa Cup of Nations goals, 1 FIFA World Cup Qualification goal, and 2 FIFA World Cup Tournament goals.
Honours
AFC Ajax
- Eredivise: 2020/21, 2021/2022 Champions.
- KNVB Cup: 2020/21 Champions
Ghana. - 2022 Kirin Cup: 3rd place.
Individual
- Footballer of the Year – Ghana Football Awards 2023.
- Commemorative Gold Coin (2022) – Ghana Gold Expo.
- Zongo Heros Award (Special Award received in Ghana on 23/12/2022).
- Ghana Armed Forces Honorary Award (2022).
- SWAG Awards 2021 – Foreign Footballer of the Year.
- SWAG Awards 2022 – Swag Sports Personality of the Year.
- SWAG Awards 2022 – Footballer of the Year.
- Eredivisie Talent of the Month: May 2021.
- Player of the Match (2022 WC: South Korea Vs. Ghana).
- IFFHS CAF Youth Team of the Year: 2020.
House and Cars
He has a house in Amsterdam and Ghana. He drives a black Porsche Cayenne Turbo and an ash Mercedes-AMG.
Net worth
He has an estimated net worth of $6 million.
FAQs about Mohammed Kudus
• What tribe is Kudus Mohammed?
He is a Gonja.
• Where does Mohammed Kudus come from?
He is from Kpongiri, a community in the Sawla-Tuna-Kalba District in the Savannah Region of Ghana.
• How old is Kudus Mohammed?
He is 23 years old now.
• Where is Kudus Mohammed now?
He plies his trade in London, United Kingdom. He plays for the English Professional Club West Ham United.