Ernest Nuamah Appiah (born 1 November 2003) is a Ghanaian professional footballer who plays as a winger for club Lyon and the Ghana national team.
Early career Nuamah was born and raised in Asafo, a suburb of Kumasi. He started his career with Right to Dream Academy, a football academy based in Eastern Region, Ghana.
Club career Nordsjælland In January 2022, Nuamah joined Danish Superliga side FC Nordsjælland. He made his debut on 10 April 2022 when he came on in the 67th minute for Magnus Kofod Andersen to score an 84th minute goal in a 2–2 draw to Aarhus GF. He was adjudged as the team's man of the match at the end of the match. In September 2022 Nuamah was adjudged the young player of the month.
On 19 March 2023, Nuamah scored a brace including the winning goal in a 2–1 win against Brøndby. He received the award for Danish Superliga Player of the Year at the end of the season.
Nuamah started the 2023–24 season off strong, scoring a hat-trick in a 4–1 league victory against Viborg on 24 July 2023, the first matchday of the new campaign.
RWDM Brussels and loan to Lyon On 30 August 2023, Nuamah joined Belgian side RWDM Brussels, before being immediately loaned to French side Lyon for the rest of the season, with a purchase option worth €25 million, plus €4.5 million in potential add-ons, in favor of the Ligue 1 club. The loan move was made possible through a common ownership between the two clubs, John Textor's Eagle Football Holdings, and was necessary to avoid Lyon's spending restrictions given by the Direction Nationale du Contrôle de Gestion (DNCG). In the process, Nuamah set a new record as Nordsjælland's highest-grossing sale.
Later that year, on 8 October, he scored his first goal for Lyon in a 3–3 draw against Lorient.
Lyon On 7 July 2024, Lyon announced the permanent transfer of Nuamah from RWD Molenbeek for a reported fee of €28.5 million.
In the final days of the 2024 summer transfer window, a €19 million transfer of Nuamah to Premier League club Fulham fell through at the last minute. Despite an agreement and a medical examination, Nuamah broke down into tears thought to be tears of joy but instead he disappeared during the final stages of the deal, reportedly due to his reluctance to leave Lyon. Later, Lyon's owner John Textor apologized for the situation that led to Nuamah feeling forced out of the club.
On April 6, 2025, during Ligue 1 matchday 28 against LOSC, Ernest Nuamah was forced off the pitch in the 7th minute with a knee injury sustained in a duel with Gabriel Gudmundsson. Two days later, OL announced that Nuamah had suffered a rupture of the anterior cruciate ligament in his left knee, ruling him out for the remainder of the season.
International career On November 4, 2022, Nuamah was included by Otto Addo, the head coach of the Ghana national team, in a provisional 55-man squad for the 2022 FIFA World Cup. However, he was not included in the final squad for the tournament.
On December 31, 2023, he was selected in Chris Hughton's 27-man squad representing Ghana for the 2023 Africa Cup of Nations.
Nuamah scored his first international goal on September 7, 2023, against the Central African Republic. Coming on as a substitute for Osman Bukari, he scored the winning goal late in the match, with the final score ending 2–1.
On June 2, 2026, Nuamah was integrated by Ghana's coach Carlos Queiroz into his list of 26 players in order to compete in the 2026 FIFA World Cup.
Career statistics Club
+ Appearances and goals by club, season and competitionClubSeasonLeagueNational cupEuropeTotalDivisionAppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoalsNordsjælland2021–22Danish Superliga9100—912022–23Danish Superliga301243—34152023–24Danish Superliga44002064Total431743204920RWDM Brussels2023–24Belgian Pro League0000—002024–25Challenger Pro League0000—00Total00000000Lyon (loan)2023–24Ligue 129340—333Lyon2024–25Ligue 123300933262025–26Ligue 1300000302026–27Ligue 143004184Lyon Total599401347613Career total102268315412533
International
+ Appearances and goals by national team and yearNational teamYearAppsGoalsGhana202372202491202521202661Total245
Scores and results list Ghana's goal tally first, score column indicates score after each Nuamah goal. + List of international goals scored by Ernest NuamahNo.DateVenueOpponentScoreResultCompetition1 7 September 2023 Baba Yara Stadium, Kumasi, Ghana 2–1 2–1 2023 Africa Cup of Nations qualification2 12 September 2023 Accra Sports Stadium, Accra, Ghana 1–0 3–1 Friendly3 6 June 2024 26 March Stadium, Bamako, Mali 1–1 2–1 2026 FIFA World Cup qualification4 21 March 2025 Accra Sports Stadium, Accra, Ghana 5–0 5–0 2026 FIFA World Cup qualification5 29 September 2026 Accra Sports Stadium, Accra, Ghana 1–0 2–4 2027 Africa Cup of Nations qualification
Honours
Lyon Coupe de France runner-up: 2023–24 Individual Danish Superliga Player of the Year: 2022–23 Danish Superliga Player of the Spring: 2022–23 Danish Superliga Young Player of the Year: 2022–23 Danish Superliga Player of the Month: July 2023 Danish Superliga Young Player of the Month: September 2022, July 2023 Danish Superliga Team of the Month: July 2023 Odartey Lamptey Future Star Award: 2023
References
External links