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Personal
Fullname: Mubarak Wakaso
aka: Wakaso
Born: 25 July 1990
Birthplace: Tamale, Ghana
Signed: 26 Aug 2014 (loan from Rubin Kazan)
Left: 31 May 2015
Position: Midfielder, Winger
Debut: RB Salzburg 2-2 Celtic, UEFA Cup, 18 Sep 2014
Squad No.: 32
Internationals: Ghana [which international team played for]
International Caps: ? [complete at end of career]
International Goals: ? [complete at end of career]
Biog
Wakaso arrived at Celtic on a bit of a high. Making all the right noises on social media like Twitter, he played to the crowd and pandered to a frustrated Celtic support looking for a new cult hero.
One of the funnier moments in his transfer was the usage of a photoshop cartoon of Wakaso mocked up as a sleuth, which was taken by a Ghana news site who used it to illustrate that the Celtic support were welcoming & embracing him in the support’s own inimitable style (see article at end of this page). The original cartoon was knocked up by Celtic supporter & photoshop expert Cartuja (a member of the KDS forum & TheCelticWiki). A good laugh for all, and quite a flamboyant entrance.
Having got everyone on side, he now had a chance to reboot his career which early on at one point saw him labelled as another one to watch out for with clubs like Barcelona reportedly out to grab him (likely apocryphal). We’ve all heard the same old stories before for plenty of others, but he never made it, and then there were the stories floating around on him about tantrums and bad blood. Another difficult time in Russia opened the window for the loan to Celtic who just seemed to be desperate to grab anyone at the time.
A strong bulky figure, it was hoped he’d provide some steel to the side and bring a bit of class.
He really hit the ground running with a goal on his debut against Red Bull Salzburg in the UEFA Cup group stages, which boded well and many were lauding him. The manager (Ronny Deila) was very positive in his praise for Wakaso:
“It looks like he could become a fans’ favourite at Celtic. Our fans like quick players, players who can go past people and who have energy. Wakaso had that in his game.”
That was as good as it got.
After that, well he seemed to be easily forgotten. Either he was out injured or put in such an uninspiring performance that he was marked down. He was quietly being written off, and when he was off to the African Nations Cup in early 2015, hardly anyone noticed his initial absence. He had fallen so far behind in the squad picks.
Wakaso was highly praised in the much maligned African Nations international competition, taking his country to the final only to lose a drab encounter that went to penalties. He made history by scoring the 1500th goal in the history of the African Cup of Nations and was impressing local tournament watchers. Problem was that he was impressing nobody else, and the papers in Ghana were glowing about him and overstating his quality which was fuelling the problem. Supposedly rated as one of Africa’s top players, but on the field at club level in Europe he was floundering badly and his poor club form was repeated at Celtic.
He finally won back a match team place in an injury ravaged Celtic squad in March 2015 but was put out of place in the full back role in a mid-week match v St Johnstone (his first game since December). It was to all back-fire on him. Subbed on as an emergency left-back, his performance was criticised by many due to his reckless challenges and no pattern or sense to his game (a worrying reflection of the warnings given about his style at other clubs). A headless chicken is how some described him. The game was lost 1-0 ending a then proud unbeaten run for the First XI. Played out of position but he needed to adapt his game to move around the team else he was going to be out the side permanently (as was to be the case).
The writing was on the wall, and he didn’t even get a medal for the league cup title victory (he only played in one of the earliest rounds, a 6-0 victory over Partick Thistle).
He wasn’t the only failed move from the past summer, and having joined a mostly unsuccessful crop of transfer loans & moves, he wasn’t going to even stand out on that front (a couple of exceptions were quality like Gordon & Denayer).
He was going to be remembered more for his entertaining entrance than for anything on the field. He now had another failed tenure at a senior club to add to his faltering CV, and maybe it was time for him and his advisers to start looking inwards rather than towards others for blame. He was still young and time was still on his hands to turn it around. In fairness, at Celtic he hadn’t shown any notable dissent as in his tenures elsewhere, if anything he was as quiet as a dormouse, if not invisible to many.
His career after Celtic was little different to that beforehand, with an inability to settle in and stay too long at any club, jumping between various clubs (including loan moves). It wasn’t until season 2017-18 when he moved to Alaves that he seemed to finally settle into a side and be a regular player, but even still he only managed to remain there for two seasons. As was becoming not uncommon with many players, he bailed out of European football and moved on to the burgeoning Chinese Super League in 2020.
As ever his time was dramatic. In s his first tenure in China, at Jiangsu Suning, he won the league title (the CSL) but the club was soon after liquidated due to financial issues as the club and was to be dissolved. He transferred to Chinese Super League side Shenzhen.
[….]
Playing Career
| APPEARANCES | LEAGUE | SCOTTISH CUP | LEAGUE CUP | EUROPE | TOTAL |
| 2014-15 | 5 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 6 |
| Goals | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
Honours with Celtic
Scottish League
Scottish League Cup
Pictures
Celtic target Wakaso Mubarak has a colourful past
CELTIC target Wakaso Mubarak can point to a career fuelled by sublime talent but tainted by turbulence and tragedy.
http://www.express.co.uk/sport/football/500942/Celtic-target-Wakaso-Mubarak-has-a-colourful-past
Published: Tue, August 19, 2014
Celtic boss Deila is in talks to land the Ghanaian on a season-long loan [GETTY]
Hoops boss Ronny Deila is in talks to land the Ghanaian on a season-long loan from Russian side Rubin Kazan.
The red tape that requires to be cut through to seal the deal makes it an uphill battle to land the 24-year-old in time for him to be considered Celtic’s wildcard signing for the first leg of the Champions League play-offs against Maribor in Slovenia tomorrow.
The Parkhead club must thrash out terms, process all registration paperwork and secure a work permit before tonight’s UEFA signing deadline.
It’s unclear if a work permit will be achieved without the aid of an appeal, as the player has not featured in 75 per cent of Ghana’s recent fixtures.
But if a deal can be secured then he will add Celtic’s name to a CV that appears to be full of talking points.
Wakaso, capped 19 times, has become a famous name back home in Ghana.
At times in the last three seasons, the speedy winger has been linked with moves to Barcelona, Inter Milan, Swansea and Genoa.
His talents earned him star billing at the 2013 Africa Cup of Nations and a £5million move to Rubin last summer.
But controversy and personal heartache has dogged the player since he left his homeland to pursue a career in Spain as a raw 18-year-old.
I do not understand how the president can say I’m a bad person and I have problems in the dressing room
Wakaso Mubarak
Earlier this year, reports in Ghana claimed that Wakaso’s four-month-old baby son had died in the family home in the northern city of Tamale.
The tragic event came at a time when the player’s career seemed to be going well after topsy-turvy years in Spain with Elche, Villarreal and Espanyol.
Wakaso was also reported to have been the victim of an armed robbery when driving in his hometown earlier this year, though he escaped unharmed.
Yet many of the other headlines in his career seem to be self-inflicted.
In Spain, his career with Elche came to an abrupt halt with president Jose Sepulchre alleging the player had failed to integrate with the squad, while Wakaso argued he was kicked out after complaining about not receiving his salary.
He was reported as saying: “I do not understand how the president can say I’m a bad person and I have problems in the dressing room.
“It is not the truth. Ask the players and the coach if they have had a problem with me.
“My problem was with my pay and it was not regular. I could not go on any longer in that state.”
A move to Villarreal soon followed and Wakaso knuckled down to earn elevation from their B team to the top squad and ultimately a move to Espanyol.
Yet life with Barcelona’s city neighbours was not smooth. A run-in with officialdom was a recurring theme during a season that earned him praise for his play, but criticism for his temper and ill-discipline.
A total of 15 yellows and two reds in just 26 games was not a flattering ratio.
He was also fined for returning home late from the Africa Cup of Nations, although the player was adamant he stayed away from the club due to a fever.
After his dismissal for haranguing the referee against Barca last season, Espanyol boss Javier Aguirre said: “Wakaso is a good guy but he needs to learn and control his impulses and will probably repent.”
The player initially blamed Spanish referees for racism.
He was quoted in the Ghanaian media saying: “Referees draw cards based on the colour of your skin. They respect some players and not others.”
He later apologised for his words and last summer agreed a move to Rubin Kazan.
It remains to be seen if Celtic can pull off a deal for the talented wide man – and if Wakaso can use his undoubted skills to restrict future comment to his success on the field.
