Reuben Ayarna

Growing up and early football career

Reuben Ayarna was born on 22 October 1985 in Accra the capital city of Ghana, where he lived for the first four years of his life. His mother was the principal of a school and his father worked as an official at a state oil company. In connection with Ayarna's father being transferred to Tamale, the regional capital of the country's northern region, and taking Ayarna with him, he discovered football. In the middle class to which the family belonged, football was seen as a sport for the poor street children, and Ayarna's parents disapproved of the son's new employment, as they wanted him to invest everything in his studies. However, Reuben continued to play football after school, even though it resulted in penalties from both parents and school staff. At the age of nine-years, Ayarna returned to Accra in 1994, Ayarna began his career with the U-12 youth team Desisderoes Babies in Ghana later on he had the chance of playing organized football for the first time, when a youth coach at the then newly formed club Liberty Professionals offered him a place on the youth team Liberty Babies. His parents were still not in agreement but he still went on to play in the club without their knowledge. He became captain for the team and when on one occasion they won a national youth tournament, his parents got to see him lift the trophy on live TV. He had been exposed, but at the same time the mother and father became proud of their son and their…

In October 2019 he announced his resignation from the Ghana national team due to his age.

Reuben Aryana started basic education at God's Grace International School, Ghana, graduated and continued to Presbyterian Secondary Boys' School, Legon. Aryana has a Bachelors of science degree in Sports Management and a Masters in business administration (MBA) both from the University College of Northern Denmark.

KuPS

Finnish Veikkausliiga: 2019