Baah Profiled

1. Gideon Baah, a native of Accra, Ghana, was born on Oct. 1, 1991. The 24-year-old was signed as a Discovery Signing via transfer from HJK Helsinki on Feb. 9, 2016.
2. In 2007, a 16-year-old Baah rose above 32,000 contestants and won a Ghanaian soccer reality show called MTN Soccer Academy. Among the prizes for winning the show was a two-week trial at Chelsea FC academy.
3. While on trial with Chelsea’s academy, fellow Ghanaian Michael Essien urged Chelsea to sign Baah and sang his praises to the press. “Everybody is happy with how Gideon played in the first week with the academy,” Essien said in a 2007 interview with English newspaper, The Telegraph. “I am confident if he is given a contract he’ll develop into a world-class player for Chelsea and can also develop to help my country.”
4. In a NewYorkRedBulls.com exclusive interview with Eric Giacometti, Baah revealed that he met fellow New York Red Bulls player Shaun Wright-Phillips while training with Chelsea’s academy. The defender also knows fellow Ghanaian international Lloyd Sam and admitted that he played, “an integral part,” in his decision to sign with the Red Bulls.
5. Baah received his first Ghana senior team call up in October 2015 for a friendly against Canada at RFK Stadium in Washington D.C. alongside Lloyd Sam. There he received his first international cap as an 87th minute substitute. The defender also played for the Ghana U-20 national team in 2009.
6. As a young pro, Baah played for Asante Kotoko in the Ghanaian Premier League for four years before going on loan with FC Honka of the Veikkausliiga, Finland’s top division. There he went on to play 29 games, signed a permanent deal with the club and made his Europa League debut in the second qualifying round against Lech Poznan.
7. By the end of his first season in the Finnish Premier League with FC Honka, Baah was named 2013 Rookie of the Year and Defender of the Year. In February 2014, his successful first season earned him a move to the reigning Veikkausliiga champions, HJK Helsinki.
8. Baah made his UEFA Champions League debut with HJK Helsinki in 2014 against Rabotnicki. Over the course of two years, he played in six Champions League qualification matches and recorded one goal and one assist. He also played in five Europa League matches and scored two goals.
9. The Ghanaian won two major titles with HJK Helsinki, including the 2015 Finnish League Cup, Finland’s domestic Open Cup competition, and the 2014 Finnish Championship. In two seasons with the club, Baah made 41 regular season appearances.
10. Baah, a left-footed central defender, played 70 games over the course of three years in the Finnish Premier League and recorded four goals and seven assists. He has six total appearances in each the UEFA Champions League and Europa League with FC Honka and HJK Helsinki.

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