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Godwin Antwi
Personal information
Full name	Godwin Antwi Birago
Date of birth	7 June 1988 (1988-06-07) (age 21)
Place of birth	Kumasi, Ghana
Height	6 ft 1 in (1.85 m)
Playing position	Centre back
Club information
Current club	Vejle BK
Number	4
Youth career
?–2004 ?-? 2004–2005 2005–2006	Asante Kotoko CD San Gregorio Arrabal Real Zaragoza Liverpool
Senior career1
Years	Club	App (Gls)*
2006–2009 2007 2007–2008 2008–2009 2009 2009-	Liverpool → Accrington Stanley (loan) → Hartlepool United (loan) → Tranmere Rovers (loan) → Hereford United (loan) Vejle BK	00 (0) 09 (0) 27 (1) 05 (0) 05 (0) 0 (0)
National team2
2006-2008	Spain U19	0 4 (0)
1 Senior club appearances and goals counted for the domestic league only and correct as of 20:51, 17 July 2009 (UTC). 2 National team caps and goals correct as of 16 December 2006. * Appearances (Goals)

Godwin Antwi Birago (born 7 June 1988 in Kumasi, Ghana) is a Ghanaian-Spanish professional footballer who is currently playing for Vejle BK. He can play at either centre-back or central midfield.

Biography

Antwi was born in Kumasi, Ghana. When he was 14 years old, he moved to Spain and lived there for three years.^[1] He initially played street soccer, before he entered the youth setup of Spanish club Real Zaragoza for 1 year. He eventually obtained a Spanish passport.^[2]

At 17 years of age, he was spotted by Paco Herrera, then head scout of Liverpool.^[3] He watched Liverpool beat Chelsea home at Anfield in the semi-final of the 2005 UEFA Champions League. The experience of hearing the Anfield crowd left a great impression on him, and he expressed a desire to reach the status of former African Liverpool player, Guinean international striker Titi Camara.^[3] He joined Liverpool, who had newly been crowned the UEFA Champions League winners, when Liverpool manager Rafael Benítez offered him a contract in August 2005.

He started his Liverpool career, playing in the reserve team during the 2005-06 season. Due to a striker shortage, he initially played up front. In his usual defending position, he helped Liverpool win the 2006 FA Youth Cup, beating Manchester City in the final.

On 8 November 2006, Antwi was called up by the Under-19 Youth setup of the Spanish national team to train with them.^[4][5] The call-up was possible due to his Spanish passport. Despite the Spanish Under-19 call-up^[6], Antwi can freely choose which country to represent at a senior level, before he turns 21 years old.^[2]

On 10 January 2007, Antwi was named captain of the Liverpool Reserves, for the first time and the 18-year-old led by example at the back against the experienced Neil Shipperley of Sheffield United.^[7] On March 13, it was announced that he had joined Accrington Stanley on a month's loan.^[8] He remained at Stanley until the end of the season.

Antwi joined Hartlepool United on a season-long loan for the 2007-08 season on 29 June 2007. He scored his first goal for Hartlepool against Doncaster on 18 August 2007.^{[9 ]}

In July 2008 he joined Tranmere Rovers on loan until January 2009.^[10] Returned to Anfield only to be loaned out again in February 2009 this time to League One side Hereford United and made his debut in their 2-0 home win over Leeds United.

Antwi was released by Liverpool FC on 16th June 2009.

On December 23. Antwi signed a half-year long contract with Danish club Vejle BK^[11].

References

Career honours

• 2005-06 FA Youth Cup, with Liverpool

External links

• Godwin Antwi career stats at Soccerbase
• Antwi’s Official Hartlepool United F.C. profile
• Godwin Antwi profile at In The Mad Crowd
• Liverpool FC profile
• Vital Hartlepool Profile: Godwin Antwi