African footballers’ life cycles according to the analysis of transfer value along their career path: a case study of Ghanaian players

Abstract

The evolution of the international transfer market continues to demonstrate the vibrancy and attractiveness of the UEFA clubs and leagues. This explains why African players are attracted to a professional career in European clubs. Based on two decades of data collection (1994–2014), this article analyses the evolution of African players’ careers with the case of Ghanaian home-grown players’ mobility in the international transfer market. The players’ career dynamic is based on a combination of transfer values and their ages. We relied on data from transfer records, information on the football labour market and the product life cycle theory to identify African players’ career dynamics. This allows us to determine the four cycles in players’ careers: domestic development, international career development, maturity and the decline which corresponds to the nonlinear evolution of their transfer values. The results supported to construct the African footballers’ ‘Careers’ Path Model Dynamics (CPMD)’ of professional players.