BRIEF PROFILE OF SULLEY MUNTARI

Sulley Ali Muntari (born 27 August 1984) is currently playing as a central midfielder for Italian club AC Milan. During his time at Internazionale, he helped the team win the Champions League in 2009–10 and the Serie A title in 2008–09 and 2009–10. He was also part of the Portsmouth team that won the FA Cup in 2007–08. He is the elder brother of CFR Cluj player Sulley Muniru.

After completing T.I Ahamidia Secondary School in Kumasi, Muntari's abilities first came to light in youth tournaments, while he was playing for Liberty Professionals youth team. He became a regular member of Ghana U20 team at the age of 16 as they finished runners-up at the 2001 FIFA World Youth Championship in Argentina, losing out to the hosts in the final. Despite impressing during a trial with Manchester United after the tournament, he ended up joining Italian club Udinese.

He joined Udinese in 2001, where his first season was spent in the reserves. He made his first-team debut on 6 November 2002, against Milan. The Rossoneri proved too strong on the day, yet Udinese's young newcomer left an instant impression. "Muntari was immense against Milan," enthused monthly magazine Football Italia, "showing himself to possess the touch of Kaká and the combativeness of Edgar Davids, he is definitely a player to keep a close eye on." In his second full season, he made 23 appearances, and increased his standing to 33 appearances the following season, although indiscipline saw him sent off three times in 16 matches in the 2006–07 season. He left Udinese for Portsmouth after five seasons in 2007 for a new club record fee, believed to be around £7.1 million, signing a five-year contract. He was a regular member of the first XI throughout the 2007–08 season playing 29 League matches and scoring four goals. He then joined Inter Milan in the 2008/09 season. 

Muntari was then taking on loan to Sunderland in January 2011until the end of the season. On 13 May 2011, Sunderland decided not to sign Muntari on a permanent basis, and he returned to Inter.

On 31 January 2012, Muntari joined Milan on loan. Massimiliano Allegri said to Milan Channel that Muntari would play with Milan for a further two years until June 2014 in May 2012. Muntari officially signed for Milan on a free transfer after his Inter contract expired on 1 July 2012. 

International career

He won his first senior cap against Slovenia on 17 May 2002, and became a regular fixture in the team as The Black Stars opened their 2006 FIFA World Cup qualifying campaign. He was selected for the Olympic side at Athens 2004, but was sent home for disciplinary reasons. This started a dispute between Muntari and the Ghana FA, and he said that he would refuse to play for his country again, beating the record for the youngest international retirement. He retracted, making a public apology to the FA, and was selected for the 2006 World Cup squad. He played in the first two matches, a 2–0 defeat by Italy and a 2–0 win over the Czech Republic, in which he scored, but having received a yellow cards in each game, he was suspended for the game against the United States, but returned for the second round match against Brazil, in which Ghana was eliminated.

He remained a regular member of the team, and appeared in the 2008 African Cup of Nations side, scoring the winner in the first group match against Guinea and the second goal in the last group match against Morocco. He scored his 3rd goal of the tournament when he scored a freekick against Côte d'Ivoire in the 3rd place play off. His goal against Guinea, a 25-metre left-footed pile-driver in the 89th minute was voted one of the Best Goals of the Tournament.

 He was voted as an All-Star Player during the 2008 African Cup of Nations Tournament in Ghana. 

Although expected to play for Ghana in the 2010 African Cup of Nations in Angola, Muntari was excluded from the national team due to disciplinary problems. After purposefully missing an international friendly against Angola, he also snubbed a meeting with Coach Milovan Rajevac. Muntari later issued a full apology to the coach. Muntari was selected for Ghana's 2010 FIFA World Cup squad. After not being included in the starting line-up for the team's first two matches, Muntari was reportedly expelled from the squad for insulting Rajevac and his teammates. However, after an intervention by former captain Stephen Appiah, he was reinstated and went on to make two further substitute appearances against Germany and the USA before starting the quarter final against Uruguay in place of the suspended André Ayew. During the match Muntari scored a long range effort in first half stoppage time, putting Ghana ahead 1–0 at half-time.