Jonathan Mensah
Jonathan Mensah, commonly known simply as Jonathan, is a Ghanaian professional footballer who plays as a defender. He previously played for Ashanti Gold, Free State Stars, Granada, Evian, Anzhi Makhachkala, Columbus Crew, San Jose Earthquakes, and New England Revolution. Jonathan has represented the Ghana national team at two World Cups. To avoid confusion with the similarly named but unrelated John Mensah, he is typically known as and plays with the name "Jonathan" on his shirt.
Born in Accra, Jonathan began his professional career in his native Ghana with Ashanti Gold, but departed after one season to join Free State Stars in South Africa. After 40 appearances for his new club, he headed to Europe for the first time in his career, signing with Italian club Udinese. Jonathan never actually played for Udinese, instead spending eighteen months on loan at Granada and appearing 15 times for the Spanish team. He then moved again, joining newly promoted Ligue 1 club Evian ahead of the 2011–12 season. Jonathan found playing time to be fleeting in France, appearing in only 60 games in five seasons. After departing Evian in early 2016, he signed on with Anzhi Makhachkala in Russia, helping the club to avoid relegation in his first season. He left Anzhi after just 19 appearances and joined Columbus Crew SC in 2017, going on to win MLS Cup and MLS Best XI in 2020.
At international level, Jonathan helped Ghana to championships at the 2009 African Youth Championship and the 2009 FIFA U-20 World Cup. His play at the U20 World Cup earned him his first senior call-up ahead of the 2010 Africa Cup of Nations, where he helped the Black Stars finish as runners-up. Jonathan appeared for Ghana at the 2010 and 2014 World Cups, and was a part of the squads that reached the semifinals at five consecutive Africa Cup of Nations. He captained his nation for the first time in a World Cup qualifier against Congo on 5 September 2017.
Club career
Ashanti Gold
After coming through the academy setup at Ashanti Gold, Jonathan was handed his professional debut for the club by head coach David Duncan during the 2007–08 Ghana Premier League season. At just 17 years of age, he played 29 times for 'AshGold' and scored two goals in his lone season with the senior team.Free State Stars
Jonathan joined South African club Free State Stars in September 2008, moving to Ea Lla Koto alongside his 'AshGold' teammate David Telfer. He scored his inaugural goal for the club on 10 January 2009, as part of a 3–2 victory over AmaZulu, and went on to make 26 appearances on the year. At the end of the season, Jonathan received a trial with Greek club Panathinaikos; he was "reported to have done well," but could not sign for the team since they had exhausted their quota of foreign players. He turned down offers from other Greek clubs to go on trial, and instead returned to South Africa.Although Jonathan missed most of the start of the 2009–10 season while with the Ghana U20s, he was reinstated to the starting lineup following his return to Free State Stars. His second goal for the club was scored on 4 November 2009, a ninetieth-minute match winner against AmaZulu. Jonathan appeared fourteen times before the winter break, but Ea Lla Koto struggled in those games, winning just three of those fourteen when he was in the squad.
Jonathan received interest from multiple European clubs ahead of the January 2010 transfer window, notably Serie A club Udinese and Bordeaux of Ligue 1. Both clubs submitted offers to Free State Stars, but it was Udinese who brought the player in for a medical in late December, ahead of the opening of the transfer window on 1 January.
Udinese
With the opening of the Italian transfer window, Jonathan officially became an Udinese player on 1 January 2010; he signed a three-year contract with the Serie A club. With the move, Jonathan united with his national teammate Kwadwo Asamoah, who entered his third season in Udine. However, before he had even arrived at Udinese, it was rumored that Jonathan was to be immediately loaned out, with Udinese's feeder club Granada the apparent destination.Jonathan's first loan spell at Granada expired ahead of the 2010 FIFA World Cup, with rumours swirling that he would be sold ahead of the beginning of the tournament. In Italy, both Juventus and Lazio registered interest in the player, while reports from his native country suggested that Premier League clubs Aston Villa and Tottenham Hotspur would pursue a transfer. Following his performance in South Africa, interest also came from Olympique Lyonnais and Newcastle United. However, Udinese opted against a sale and instead sent Jonathan back on loan to Granada.
In June 2011, Jonathan returned from loan in Spain, saying "I think I will have to prove to the coach that I can and remain in the team." However, he was later quoted by the Ghana Football Association as saying "Udinese have been very good to me and I am very happy to be at this club. Football can be a strange workplace, though, and you can move any time two clubs agree terms," as he was rumored to have transfer interest from France. He would agree a move to Evian in July, ending his eighteen-month spell with Udinese having never appeared for the club.
Loan to Granada
In January 2010, after joining Udinese, Jonathan moved on loan to Spanish club Granada. The initial loan to the Segunda División B side was for six months, in order to get him regular playing time; it was also necessary because Udinese already had hit their quota of foreign players, and were unable to register Jonathan in the squad. However, he did not feature in a match for Granada during that initial loan. Jonathan made the bench twice, but did not play as Granada won the Segunda División B and were promoted to the Segunda División for the first time since 1987–88.Jonathan was sent back on loan to Granada for the 2010–11 Segunda División season, as Granada played their first second tier season in 22 years. After eight months with the club, he finally made his debut for El Graná on 29 August 2010 with a start against Real Betis in a season-opening 4–1 defeat. Jonathan scored his first, and only, goal for Granada on 21 November, although his 57th-minute strike came as part of a 3–2 defeat against Numancia. He also received his first professional red card that season, in the 48th minute of a 5–2 victory over Las Palmas on 26 February 2011. Jonathan made 15 appearances on the season, scoring once, as Granada won the promotion play-offs and were promoted to La Liga for the first time in 35 years.
Evian
On 8 July 2011, Jonathan moved to newly promoted Ligue 1 side Evian, signing a four-year contract with the French club for an undisclosed fee. He made his club debut on 21 September, going the full ninety minutes in a 2–0 defeat away to Marseille. However, Jonathan did not play again on the season, as he aggravated a thigh injury while on international duty and remained on the sidelines until August 2012.Jonathan began the 2012–13 season well, featuring six times in Evian's first 11 matches. However, his form and fitness declined, with injuries and international duty keeping him out of the team. Upon his return in February, he was demoted to the reserve side, playing six matches in the Championnat de France Amateur 2. He appeared 12 times overall, playing six games each for the first team and the reserves.
Jonathan returned to the first team in 2013, featuring in Evian's opening game of the 2013–14 Ligue 1 campaign and playing the full ninety minutes in a 1–1 draw with Sochaux on 10 August 2013. He scored his first goal for the club on 14 December, a 73rd-minute strike as Evian drew 1–1 with Stade de Reims, then four days later made his Coupe de la Ligue debut by appearing in a round of 16 tie against Bastia. Jonathan did miss time through injury and suspension: he was out for five weeks at the start of the season after suffering a thigh injury, and picked up a three-match ban after getting sent off 40 minutes into a defeat against Lyon in January. He returned to the team for the final seven matches of the season, helping Evian avoid relegation by four points. Jonathan appeared 27 times on the campaign, scoring once.
Following his performances at the 2014 FIFA World Cup, Jonathan was rated highly and rumored to be a transfer target for "several big European clubs," notably Monaco and Sampdoria. No moves came to fruition, however, and he returned to Evian for the 2014–15 season. Jonathan was a staple in the team at the start of the year, appearing ten times for Les Croix de Savoyes through the end of October. During that stretch, he scored his second goal for the club in a 2–1 victory over Lens; he also received his second red card in a 2–1 defeat to Lorient in the Coupe de la Ligue. Jonathan promptly fell out of the Evian squad following that sending off, first suffering from a hamstring injury and then getting called up by Ghana for the 2015 Africa Cup of Nations. He played just twice more on the campaign, before suffering an injury while on international duty in March and then receiving a four-month ban from FIFA in May that ended his season. Jonathan appeared in twelve games for Evian, scoring once as the club were relegated to the second tier.
Breach of contract case
On 19 May 2015, Jonathan was banned for four months by FIFA in a breach of contract case. The case stemmed from his transfer to Evian in July 2011, as FIFA judged that Jonathan had still been under contract with Udinese but claimed to be a free agent when he signed with the French club. Udinese had originally reported him just weeks after the transfer, claiming that he had four years remaining on his contract; Jonathan, however, responded by saying "My manager cannot make such a mistake. I have no contract with Udinese." FIFA originally completed their investigation and levied the ban in July 2014; however, Jonathan appealed to the Court of Arbitration for Sport, who eventually upheld the ban. Following the CAS ruling, FIFA confirmed that the ban began retroactively on 30 April 2015, and "begins again at the start of the next season, whichever country he may choose to play in." It was also confirmed that the ban only applied to club football, with Jonathan still eligible to play for Ghana over the summer.Even following the ban, Jonathan was "hopeful" that he would move to a new club over the summer window; he told reporters in his native Ghana that he did not "think this situation will hamper any move because like I said, teams know what I can do." Four-time defending Scottish champions Celtic had shown interest in the player, but promptly ended their pursuit following the announcement from FIFA confirming the ban. Jonathan instead re-signed with Evian on a new deal after his initial four-year contract had expired.
Jonathan missed the first three months of the 2015–16 season while serving the duration of his ban, officially returning to the active squad for Evian on 26 October. He made his Ligue 2 debut on 6 November, playing the full ninety minutes in a 4–0 victory over Valenciennes. However, Jonathan almost immediately was ruled out through injury, missing the entire month of December after suffering a knock while on international duty. He would play just six more times for Evian while being the subject of much transfer speculation, with Premier League club Swansea City reported to be interested on bringing him in on a free transfer at the end of the season. Jonathan did not wait until the summer, however, departing Evian before the end of February. He finished the 2015–16 campaign having appeared in eight matches, seven of those with the senior team, and finished his five seasons in France with two goals from 60 appearances.