Francis Amuzu

Francis Amuzu
Amuzu at Anderlecht in 2021
Personal information
Full name Francis Apelete Amuzu[1]
Date of birth (1999-08-23) 23 August 1999
Place of birth Accra, Ghana
Height 1.70 m (5 ft 7 in)
Position Winger
Team information
Current team
 Grêmio
Number 9
Youth career
SK Heffen
Mechelen
–2015 JMG Academy Lier
2015–2017 Anderlecht
Senior career*
Years Team Apps (Gls)
2017–2025 Anderlecht 205 (25)
2025– Grêmio 34 (5)
International career‡
2017–2018 Belgium U19 7 (2)
2018–2020 Belgium U21 14 (2)
* Club domestic league appearances and goals as of 5 May 2026
‡ National team caps and goals as of 7 May 2026

Francis Apelete Amuzu (born 23 August 1999) is a Ghanaian professional footballer who plays as a winger for Campeonato Brasileiro Série A club Grêmio.[2]

Amuzu began his career with Anderlecht, and spent eight full seasons in the first team before moving to Brazilian club Grêmio in 2025. He represented Belgium at youth level before starting to play for Ghana internationally in 2026.

Club career

Anderlecht

Born in Ghana to Ghanaian former midfielder Theophilus Amuzu, Amuzu moved to Belgium at an early age and played for the youth teams of SK Heffen, Mechelen and JMG Academy Lier.[3] He signed his first professional contract on 23 August 2015 with Anderlecht for three years.[4] He made his professional debut for Anderlecht in a 1–0 Belgian First Division A win over Eupen on 22 December 2017, scoring his side's game-winning goal on his debut.[5] He pledged his international football to Belgium national team.[6]

On 20 September 2018, he made his debut in the European Competitions in a UEFA Europa League match against Spartak Trnava.[7]

He made his 50th Belgian Pro League appearance for Anderlecht on 12 September 2019, in match against Sporting Charleroi.

He made his 100th league appearance for Anderlecht in a Pro League match against Sint-Truiden.

On 27 August 2023, Amuzu scored the winning goal in a Pro League match against Sporting Charleroi. He then scored from outside the box a week later, in a 1–1 draw against Genk, on 3 September 2023.

On 7 October 2023, he scored in the match against KV Mechelen which honoured club icon Paul Van Himst on his 80th birthday.[8][9]

On 28 November 2024, Amuzu scored a stunning late equaliser against FC Porto in a UEFA Europa League league phase match, after he came on as a substitute for Samuel Edozie in the 60th minute. Amuzu was heavily praised by the Portuguese press after playing a good game.[10]

On 26 January 2025, Amuzu played his 250th game for Anderlecht coming on as a substitute for César Huerta in the 81st minute in a 4–1 win against Mechelen.[11] Amuzu would finish his Anderlecht career with 28 goals and 24 assists in 250 official matches for the club.[12]

Grêmio

On 10 February 2025, Grêmio announced the signing of Amuzu. He joined the club on a permanent deal until December 2026.[12]

International career

Amuzu was eligible to represent both Ghana and Belgium at international level, initially favoring the latter.[13] He featured for Belgium at youth level and scored on his under-21 debut, the winner in an October 2018 friendly match versus Italy.[14]

In 2022, Amuzu affirmed his allegiance to Belgium by stating "My sporty heart lies with Belgium. With Belgium you can go very far at such a World Cup, with Ghana there is a real chance that you will be out quickly."[13] In 2026, however, he switched back to his native country ahead of the 2026 FIFA World Cup,[15] and was called up by Carlos Queiroz for a friendly against Mexico in May of that year; Grêmio, however, made the player unavailable for the match.[16]

Career statistics

As of match played 5 May 2026
Appearances and goals by club, season and competition
Club Season League State league[a] National cup[b] Continental Other Total
DivisionAppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoals
Anderlecht 2017–18 Belgian Pro League 111–0000–111
2018–19 Belgian Pro League 301–104[c]0–351
2019–20 Belgian Pro League 203–10—–213
2020–21 Belgian Pro League 352–40—–392
2021–22 Belgian Pro League 379–603[d]1–4610
2022–23 Belgian Pro League 333–2015[d]0–503
2023–24 Belgian Pro League 214–00––214
2024–25 Belgian Pro League 182–307[c]2–284
Total 20525–1702930025128
Grêmio 2025 Série A 22430304[e]01[f]1335
2026 Série A 121931132–257
Total 3451234172115812
Career total 239301232113651130940
  1. ↑ Includes Campeonato Gaúcho
  2. ↑ Includes Belgian Cup, Copa do Brasil
  3. 1 2 Appearances in UEFA Europa League
  4. 1 2 Appearances in UEFA Conference League
  5. ↑ Appearances in Copa Sudamericana
  6. ↑ Appearance(s) in Recopa Gaúcha

Honours

Grêmio

References

  1. ↑ "Amuzu, Francis Apelete Amuzu - Footballer".
  2. ↑ "Amuzu, atacante belga do Anderlecht, viaja para acertar com o Grêmio, dizem jornalistas". 4 February 2025.
  3. ↑ "Tedesco duwt Amuzu naar Ghana" [Tedesco pushes Amuzu to Ghana]. Voetbalbelgie.be (in Dutch). 22 March 2023. Retrieved 17 May 2023.
  4. ↑ "Sensational Ghanaian teenager Francis Amuzu pens three-year Anderlecht professional contract". social_image. 18 September 2015.
  5. ↑ "Anderlecht boekt glansloze overwinning dankzij debuterende Amuzu". Archived from the original on 23 December 2017. Retrieved 24 December 2017.
  6. ↑ "Anderlecht star Francis Amuzu picks Belgium over Ghana". Daily Graphic. Accra, Ghana. 24 May 2022. Retrieved 24 May 2022.
  7. ↑ "Game report by UEFA".
  8. ↑ "Kippenvel:Anderlecht viert 80e verjaardag van Paul Van Himst op indrukwekkende wijze" [Goosebumps: Anderlecht celebrates Paul Van Himst's 80th birthday in an impressive way]. Nieuwsblad.be (in Dutch). 7 October 2023.
  9. ↑ ""Mooiste doelpunt uit mijn carrière":Amuzu zet met wereldgoal orgelpunt op feestavond in" [“The most beautiful goal of my career”: Amuzu caps off the celebration with a stunning goal.]. hln.be (in Dutch). 7 October 2023.
  10. ↑ "Portugese pers met complimenten voor Anderlecht en Amuzu". voetbalprimeur (in Dutch). Retrieved 30 November 2024.
  11. ↑ "Jeremy Doku feliciteert Francis Amuzu met mijlpaal van 250 wedstrijden bij RSC Anderlecht". voetbalprimeur (in Dutch). Retrieved 29 January 2025.
  12. 1 2 "Grêmio announce the signing of Belgian-Ghanaian forward Francis Amuzu". Ghana Soccernet. 10 February 2025. Retrieved 17 March 2025.
  13. 1 2 "Anderlecht star Francis Amuzu picks Belgium over Ghana". Daily Graphic. Accra, Ghana. 24 May 2022. Retrieved 7 May 2026.
  14. ↑ "U21: Belgium beat Italy| All Football". AllfootballOfficial. Retrieved 7 May 2026.
  15. ↑ "Francis Amuzu: From 'my heart lies with Belgium' to accepting Black Stars call-up". Ghana Web. 7 May 2026. Retrieved 12 May 2026.
  16. ↑ "Gremio block Francis Amuzu from maiden Black Stars call-up". Ghana Web. 12 May 2026. Retrieved 12 May 2026.
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