Born on this day is former Sunderland loanee and Champions League winner Sulley Muntari. The central midfield man joined Steve Bruce’s side on loan from Inter Milan, who had been crowned champions of Europe a year earlier.
Muntari had already impressed in England, winning the 2008 FA Cup with Portsmouth. At the time, he was Pompey’s club record signing and was attracting suitors across Europe. After Jose Mourinho took over at Inter Milan, he made the Ghanaian international his top priority. Muntari signed for Inter for £14 million after just one year at Fratton Park. He was brought on as a late substitute in their 2010 Champions League final win over Bayern Munich, and impressed overall at Inter. He was well-known for his dynamism and box-to-box energy from the engine room.
That’s why many fans were delighted in January 2011, when Steve Bruce was able to capture Muntari’s signature on a loan deal with a view to a permanent signing. On the transfer, Bruce himself said:
“If you had said to me six months ago that we would be looking at Sulley Muntari, who had just won the Champions League, I would have said, 'not a chance'. This is an ideal opportunity to bring in a top-class midfield player who moved to Inter for about €17m. To bring him in now can only give the club a lift."
However, the midfielder flattered to deceive on Wearside and only managed nine league games for the lads, starting just seven. He looked lazy and disinterested, as if he’d never wanted to sign for Sunderland in the first place. The Ghanaian duo of John Mensah and Asamoah Gyan were presumably a big part of the transfer duo to their connections in the national team.
The lads never won a game where Muntari started, with just one draw amongst six defeats. Arguably the worst performance was in a 5-0 defeat to Manchester City, where Muntari was totally outplayed by Yaya Touré and co. He did get a solitary goal in red and white, a deflected effort in a 2-1 victory over Bolton Wanderers after coming on as a sub. However, the goal was later ruled to be an own goal by Zat Knight.
Ultimately, Muntari is known as a huge flop for Sunderland, which is even more sour given his exploits elsewhere. He went on to join AC Milan, where he played consistently for three years before winding down his career in Saudi Arabia and Spain.
