Jonathan Mensah

At 34 years old, Jonathan Mensah has this physical status:

Jonathan Mensah (born 13 July 1990), also known as Jonathan, is a Ghanaian professional footballer who plays for MLS club Columbus Crew SC as a defender.

He played for AshantiGold, Free State Stars, Granada, Evian, and Anzhi Makhachhachhachhach.

Jonathan has appeared on two World Cups for the Ghana national team.

To avoid confusion with the similarly named but unrelated John Mensah, he is usually identified as and plays with the term "Jonathan" on his shirt. Jonathan began his professional career with AshantiGold in Accra, but he left after one season to join South Africa's Free State Stars.

For the first time in his career, he went to Europe, joining Italian club Udinese. He made 40 appearances for his new club.

Jonathan never played for Udinese, rather spending eighteen months on loan at Granada and appearing 15 times for the Spanish team.

He then migrated south, joining Evian, a newly promoted Ligue 1 club, ahead of the 2011-12 season.

Jonathan found playing time in France to be fading after appearing in just 60 games in five seasons.

After leaving Evian in early 2016, he joined Anzhi Makhachhachchhachach in Russia, helping the club avoid relegation in his first season.

He left Anzhi after 19 appearances, but he rejoined Ghanaian compatriot Harrison Afful at Columbus Crew SC.

He was the fifth Designated Player in Crew SC history. Jonathan aided Ghana in the 2009 African Youth Championship and the 2009 FIFA U-20 World Cup in both Ghana and Ghana.

His appearance at the U20 World Cup earned him his first senior call-up ahead of the 2010 Africa Cup of Nations, where he was assisting the Black Stars in finishing runners-up.

Jonathan competed for Ghana in the 2010 and 2014 World Cups, as part of the teams that reached the semifinals of Africa's Nations' five-in-a row.

On September 5, 2017, he captained his nation for the first time in a World Cup qualifier against Congo.

Personal life

Jonathan is known as a devout Christian who reads Psalms before every game. He is a friend of Christian footballers Christian Atsu and Odion Ighalo.

Jonathan founded the Jonathan Mensah Foundation, a reputable charitable foundation established in July 2013. It was "aimed at supplying logistical assistance, grants, and funds to underprivileged institutions and orphanages around the country." Among other things, the foundation has contributed to and helped maintain the Royal Seed Home and Dzorwulu Special School. Jonathan was named the Columbus Crew SC Humanitarian of the Year for 2017 both for his charity work and his volunteer work in the Columbus area.

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Club career

Jonathan was given his professional debut for the club by head coach David Duncan during the 2007–08 Ghana Premier League season. In his first season with AshGold, he played 29 times and scored two goals.

Jonathan joined Free State Stars in September 2008, then moved to Ea Lla Koto with AshGold teammate David Telfer. On January 10, 2009, he scored his first goal for the club as part of a 3–2 victory over AmaZulu and then went on to make 26 appearances on the year. Jonathan was "reported to have been faithful" at the end of the season, but he could not sign for the team because they had exhausted their quota of foreign players. He turned down offers from other Greek clubs to testify, and instead returned to South Africa.

Despite Jonathan's absence most of the 2009–10 season as a member of the Ghana U20s, he was reinstated to the starting lineup after returning to the Free State Stars. On November 4, 2009, his second goal for the club was scored, marking a ninetieth-minute match winner over AmaZulu. Jonathan appeared fourteen times before the winter break, but Ea Lla Koto failed in those games, winning just three of those fourteen times when he was in the squad.

Jonathan was recruited by several European clubs ahead of the January 2010 transfer window, including Serie A club Udinese and Bordeaux of Ligue 1. Both clubs submitted bids to Free State Stars, but it was Udinese who took the player in for a medical in late December, just before the transfer window opens on January 1st.

Jonathan officially became a Udinese player on January 1, 2010 after completing a three-year contract with the Serie A club. Jonathan moved to Udine with his national teammate Kwadwo Asamoah, who was in his third season. However, before he had even arrived in Udinese, Jonathan was predicted to be immediately loaned out, with Udinese's feeder club Granada being the obvious destination.

Jonathan's first loan stint at Granada ended before the 2010 FIFA World Cup, with rumors that he would be sold ahead of the tournament's start. Both Juventus and Lazio expressed interest in the player, while reports from his home country suggested that Premier League clubs Aston Villa and Tottenham Hotspur will pursue a transfer. Following his success in South Africa, Olympique Lyonnais and Newcastle United piqued our interest. However, Udinese decided against a auction and instead sent Jonathan back on loan to Granada.

Jonathan returned from loan in Spain in June 2011 and said, "I think I will have to show the coach that I can [win a place] and stay in the team." However, he was later described by the Ghana Football Association as "Udinese have been really helpful to me and I am really excited to be at this club." However, football can be a strange place, and you will change any time two clubs decide, as he was reported to have transferred interest from France. He'll make a move to Evian in July, bringing an eighteen-month long association to a stop with Udinese having never played for the club.

Jonathan moved on loan to Spanish club Granada in January 2010, after joining Udinese. Jonathan was the first loan to the Segunda División B team for six months in order to get him regular playing time; it was also important because Udinese already had surpassed their quota of foreign players and were unable to register Jonathan in the squad because of their inability to enroll Jonathan. However, he did not appear in a match for Granada during his initial loan. Jonathan appeared on the bench twice, but did not participate in the Segunda División B and was promoted to the Segunda División for the first time since 1987–88.

Jonathan was sent on loan to Granada for the 2010–11 Segunda División season, the first tier season in 22 years. He made his El Graná debut against Real Betis on September 29, 2010, which was his first for the team after eight months with the team. Jonathan scored his first and only goal for Granada on November 21 on November 21, but his 57th-minute strike came as part of a 3–2 loss to Numancia. In the 48th minute of a 5–2 victory over Las Palmas on February 26, 2011, he also received his first professional red card of the season. Jonathan made 15 appearances on the season, scoring once, as Granada defeated the promotion play-offs and were promoted to La Liga for the first time in 35 years.

Jonathan joined Evian, France's newly promoted Ligue 1 side, on July 8, 2011, for an undisclosed fee. In a 2–0 loss away to Marseille, he made his club debut on September 21sty minutes, taking the full ninety minutes. Jonathan did not return to action on the season, however, because he aggravated a thigh injury while on international service and remained on the sidelines until August 2012.

Jonathan started the 2012–13 season in a good mood, playing six times for Les Croix de Savoyes in their first eleven games. From that point forward, however, he struggled with both fitness and form, missing time due to illness, and international service before returning to Evian in February. Jonathan was relegated to the reserve team following his return from the Championshipnat de France Amateur 2 championships, with whom he played six games. He appeared twelve times at Evian, six games with the senior team and six with the reserves.

Jonathan played for the first team in 2013-2014 and 2014-14 Ligue 1 campaign, and he played for the full ninety minutes against Sochaux on October 10, 2013. On December 14, he scored his first goal for the club, a 73rd-minute goal, as Evian drew 1–1 with Stade de Reims, then four days later, he made his Coupe de la Ligue debut against Bastia, scoring in a round of 16 draw against Bastia. Jonathan did miss time due to injury and suspension at the start of the season, and he suffered a thigh injury and ended a three-match suspension after being sent off 40 minutes into a loss against Lyon in January. He rejoined the team for the final seven games of the season, helping Evian avoid relegation by four points. Jonathan scored once on the campaign, appearing 27 times on the track.

Jonathan was highly rated and rumored to be a transfer target for "several major European clubs," including Monaco and Sampdoria, following his appearances at the 2014 FIFA World Cup. However, no moves came to fruition, and he returned to Evian for the 2014–15 season. Jonathan was a key member of the team from the start of the year, appearing ten times for Les Croix de Savoyes until the end of October. He scored his second goal for the club in a 2–1 victory over Lens, earning his second red card in a 2–1 loss in the Coupe de la Ligue. Jonathan was immediately dropped from the Evian squad after that first suffered from a hamstring injury and then being called up by Ghana for the 2015 Africa Cup of Nations. He appeared on just twice more on the campaign before suffering an injury while overseas duty in March and then receiving a four-month ban from FIFA in May, which ended his season. Jonathan appeared in twelve games for Evian, scoring once as the team was relegated to the second division of the second division.

Jonathan was barred for four months by FIFA in a case of misconduct of contract. Jonathan's transfer to Evian came as a result of his FIFA determination that he was still under control with Udinese but that he had claimed to be a free agent when he joined the French club. Udinese had originally reported him just weeks after the fact, claiming that he had four years remaining on his deal; Jonathan, however, responded immediately by saying, "My boss cannot make such a mistake." "I have no employment with Udinese." FIFA started an investigation and levied the ban in July 2014; however, Jonathan appealed to the Court of Arbitration for Sport, which later upheld the ban. Following the CAS decision, FIFA announced that the ban went retroactively on April 30, 2015, and that it will "reign in the next season, whatever country he may choose to participate in." Jonathan was also revealed that the ban only applied to club football, with Jonathan still eligible to play for Ghana over the summer.

Jonathan was "hopeful" that he would transfer to a new club over the summer window, but he told journalists in Ghana that he did not "think this will prevent any transfer because, as I said, teams know what you can do." Celtic had shown an interest in the player at the time, but they had to suspend their pursuit after FIFA announced the ban. Jonathan re-signed with Evian on a new contract after his initial four-year deal came to an end.

Jonathan spent the first three months of the 2015–16 season on the year without having been on the active squad for Evian, which was released on October 26th. In a 4–0 victory over Valenciennes on November 6th, he made his Ligue 2 debut on November 6th, playing the full ninety minutes. Jonathan was almost immediately ruled out of work due to a fractured skull while overseas duty. Although being the subject of a slew of transfer talk, Evian's Evian will play just six times, with Premier League club Swansea City reportedly interested in bringing him in on a free transfer at the end of the season. Jonathan did not wait until the summer, but he did not leave Evian until the end of February. He played in eight games, seven of whom were with the senior team, and finished his five seasons in France with two goals from 60 appearances.

Jonathan agreed to a two-and-a-half year deal with Anzhachhachchia, Russia's Premier League club, on February 23, 2016, with a 20% sell-on clause tacked on as part of the deal. In a 1–0 loss to Amkar Perm, he made his Anzhi debut in the first game after the winter break. Jonathan stayed on international service and returned to the club at the end of April, with Anzhi finishing last in the RPL's bottom of the table. He appeared in all three games of the season, beginning with Anzhi's seven points and helping the club advance to 13th and a relegation playoff against Volgar Astrakhan of the Russian Football National League. Jonathan played all 180 minutes as Anzhi recovered by a 3–0 aggregate score. He ended the season with eight appearances.

Jonathan struggled to get consistent game time during the front half of the 2016–17 season, appearing in just nine of seventeen league games. He did, however, make his Russian Cup debut against Mordovia Saransk in the round of 32. Jonathan was rumored to be leaving Anzhi permanently, according to American club Columbus Crew SC, who reported destination late in the winter break. Jonathan left Anzhi after playing just nineteen times for the Eagles, and the change would come to an end three days into 2017.

Jonathan was named the fifth Designated Player in club history on January 3rd. He was the second DP on the Columbus roster at the time, alongside Federico Higua. Jonathan will be the highest-earning Ghanaian player in MLS, ahead of David Accam's earning nearly $850,000 for the first year of his contract.

Jonathan was recruited as part of Crew SC's leadership team prior to the season, alongside Federico Higua, Justin Meram, and Josh Williams. The five captains were collectively vice captains under captain Wil Trapp. Jonathan made his Chicago Fire debut on March 4th, playing the full ninety minutes in a season-opening 1–1 draw. In a 2–1 victory over FC Dallas on August 26, he scored his first goal for Crew SC, and then notched his second for the club nearly a month later, during a 3–2 victory over the New York Red Bulls on September 23. Jonathan's results during the season were still skepticism, with even the player admitting that the season was "not great." He received two red cards against Houston and Philadelphia in July, and he had eleven total cards on the season, as well as numerous mistakes that were allegedly related to goals. Despite these critiques, he will continue to play a key role in the Crew SC lineup, eventually starting all five playoff games as Columbus was disqualified in the conference finals. Jonathan made 31 appearances in his first season in MLS, tying two goals.

Jonathan remained on the leadership team until the 2018 season, this time joined by Ricardo Clark, Higgins, Zack Steffen, and Williams. Jonathan will not be eligible to play again by the club in late January, allowing the club to purchase Milton Valenzuela.

Jonathan was named captain in his fourth season with the club, following Trapp. Every single minute of every single match during the 2020 season, with Mensah advancing to an MLS Cup victory over the Seattle Sounders. He led the team to their 1st trophy in 12 years, while being the first African to lift the MLS Cup for The Black & Gold.

Mensah scored four goals in all leagues during the 2021 Columbus Crew season, including the game winner against Atlanta United on July 24.

International career

Jonathan made his international debut at the 2009 African Youth Championship in Ghana, where he earned his first three youth international caps and assisted the Ghana U20s in winning their third-ever continental title. In the final, he had a goal-line clearance in the 58th minute to help keep a 2–0 win over Cameroon. Jonathan was then called up to the 2009 FIFA U-20 World Cup for the first time and then selected as part of the final roster. He appeared in six of the Black Satellites' seven matches, marshalling the opposition as Ghana advanced to the final. Ghana won their first U20 World Cup victory against Brazil, a four-time champions. It was a 4–3 penalty shoot-out victory after 120 scoreless minutes. Jonathan had his kick in the shoot-out saved by Rafael, but was forced to leave if Daniel Agyei saved each of the next three Brazilian kicks. He completed his eligibility at the U20 level having appeared nine times.

Jonathan was called up for the first time to the Ghana senior team after his youth debut against Uganda on May 31. He was drafted into the 2010 Africa Cup of Nations, but he did not make it to the final until being defeated by Egypt. Jonathan was able to gain a call-up to the 2010 FIFA World Cup, but he was still wearing the number 8 shirt worn by Michael Essien. Jonathan established himself as a key defensive partner for John Mensah with first-choice centre Back Isaac Vorsah out injured. He'll play two out of three group stage games as well as the round of 16 against the United States.

Jonathan became a starter in the World Cup after scoring his first goal against Ghana in a friendly against Togo on February 8, 2011. He was selected to participate in the 2012 Africa Cup of Nations, the last iteration of the tournament in even-numbered years before being pushed to avoid clashes with the World Cup. Jonathan appeared twice on the team but then fell out of the lineup to John Boye in the knockout stage before returning to the third place match, a 2–0 loss to Mali. He was called up to the 2013 Africa Cup of Nations with his clubmate Mohammed Rabiu, who was also named in the squad a year later. Jonathan appeared just once in the third place play-off to replace Boye, but only once during the tournament.

Jonathan was first selected in Ghana's 30-man preliminary squad for the 2014 FIFA World Cup on May 12th; he was then transferred to the final squad on June 2nd. He started every match for the Black Stars, but the team fell out of the tournament with a record of one draw and two losses.

Jonathan played every minute of Ghana's 2015 Africa Cup of Nations campaign, helping them reach the final after appearing six times during qualifying. Jonathan made his penalty against Ivory Coast in a penalty shootout, but Ghana lost in a penalty shootout against Ivory Coast, but Ghana's Jonathan made his penalty as the sixth taker for the country. Jonathan was first called to the preliminary squad on January 2nd, but the team was forced to complete a transfer to Columbus Crew two years later. He was still drafted to the final squad on January 4th but he only played twice in Gabon. Ghana was defeated on a goal by Alain Traoré of Burkina Faso in a third place play-off.

Before failing to qualify for the 2018 FIFA World Cup, Ghana had appeared in three consecutive World Cups. Jonathan appeared five times during the Black Stars' qualifying season, including both games against the Comoros in the second round. Despite Ghana's third place finish in the third round and thus failed to qualify for Russia 2018, Jonathan wore the captain's armband for the first time against Congo on September 5th, Ghana's first victory in the third round.

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