John Mensah
«Strong, Rigorous, Powerful» : These ase the words J.J. Perrier Doumbé used to sum up John Mensah’s qualities. The Ghanaian international was loaned to Rennes in late January 2006, to stabilise a defensive line often struggling to cope during that season. The “Rock from Djiporta” soon proved his recruiters right, and was immediately loved by the Rennes support. The instant success of his loan was soon materialised, when he signed a three years contract with the club from Brittany. Unfortunately, while his role as a key player was never contested and many (big) teams were following him, his stay in Rennes was marked by recurrent injuries. In July 2008, he followed the footsteps of Kim Källström, and decided to join the Olympique Lyonnais at the end of fierce transfer negotiations.
Surname : Mensah
Name : John
Nickname : The Rock from Djiporta
Nationality : Ghanaian
Date of Birth : 29/11/1982
Place of Birth: Accra (Ghana)
Height : 1,77 m
Weight : 72 Kg
Position : Defender
Number : 5
International : Ghana (60 caps)
Career :
Amateur :
Obuasi Academy (Ghana)
Bologne (Italy, 1999-2000)
Professional :
Bologne (Italy, 2000-2002)
- Loaned to Bellinzona (Switzerland, 2000-2001)
- Loaned to Genoa (Italy, 2001-2002)
Chievo Verone (Italy, 2002-2005)
- Loaned to Modena (Italy, 2003-2004)
- Loaned to Cremona (Italy, 2005 - January 2006),
- Loaned to Stade Rennais FC (January - June 2006)
Stade Rennais FC (June 2006 – July 2008)
Olympique Lyonnais (since July 2008)
- Loaned to Sunderland (England, August 2009 – June 2010)
Honours :
2001 U20 World Cup Finalist
Statistics :
- First Ligue 1 game (and first with Rennes) : Bordeaux - Rennes (2-0), February 11th, 2006
- 2005-2006 Season :
| Competition | Played | Started | Goals | Yellow | Red | Minutes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ligue 1 | 12 | 12 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 1061 |
| Coupe de France | 2 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 137 |
| Coupe de la Ligue | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| European Cup | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Total | 14 | 14 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 1198 |
- 2006-2007 Season :
| Competition | Played | Started | Goals | Yellow | Red | Minutes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ligue 1 | 23 | 23 | 0 | 4 | 0 | 2017 |
| Coupe de France | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 120 |
| Coupe de la Ligue | 2 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 165 |
| Total | 26 | 26 | 0 | 4 | 0 | 2302 |
- 2007-2008 Season :
| Competition | Played | Started | Goals | Yellow | Red | Minutes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ligue 1 | 25 | 25 | 1 | 3 | 1 | 2160 |
| Coupe de France | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Coupe de la Ligue | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| European Cup | 2 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 180 |
| Total | 27 | 27 | 1 | 3 | 1 | 2340 |
- Total :
| Competition | Played | Started | Goals | Yellow | Red | Minutes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ligue 1 | 60 | 60 | 2 | 9 | 1 | 5238 |
| Coupe de France | 3 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 257 |
| Coupe de la Ligue | 2 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 165 |
| European Cup | 2 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 180 |
| Total | 67 | 67 | 2 | 9 | 1 | 5840 |
Goals for the Stade Rennais :
- 1 - 25/03/06, Rennes - Troyes (2-0), Ligue 1, GW32 (52’, 2-0)
- 2 - 10/05/08, Rennes - Toulouse (2-1), Ligue 1, GW37 (73’, 2-1)