Caleb Yirenkyi belongs to a generation of Ghanaian players who have seen the national team play at multiple World Cups in the 21st century.
Up until 2006 the Black Stars had never played at a World Cup but since then they have played in all but one edition. In 2010, they went as far as the quarter-finals and were minutes away from reaching the semi-finals too.
Qualification for the 2026 World Cup came amidst the disappointment around the failure to even make it to the most recent African Cup of Nations but now, there is a bigger goal in sight for Yirenkyi, and his teammates.
The 20-year-old midfielder is now a regular for the national team, having also come leaps and bounds for Nordsjælland at club level. A central midfielder by trade, Yirenkyi has often played as the deepest of the Danish club’s midfield three and has also been utilised as a right central midfielder.
He boasts impressive athletic ability and loves to move the ball forward from the middle of the park. There have been suggestions of interest from major English clubs and when one glances closely at his profile, there is no surprise at all.
This season, in the Superligaen, he has played 22 times, contributing to a total of seven goals along the way. A product of Right to Dream’s increasingly famous academy, he could follow in the footsteps of Tottenham’s Mohammed Kudus and Atalanta’s Kamaldeen Sulemana by making the big jump to one of Europe’s big five leagues.
Right to Dream’s academy structure has roots spread across Ghana and multiple other countries including Egypt, the US, and Denmark. The system is based on the holistic development of young footballers and improving them not just on the pitch but also nurturing them as people.
The Ghana international joined Nordsjaelland’s U19s side back in 2024, having first played for Right to Dream’s Ghana Academy back in 2017 when he was just 11.
Yirenkyi is described as a man of few words but deep within, he has qualities that have always stood out for the coaches. All of this has led him to here – on the verge of making Ghana’s World Cup squad, having already played seven times for his country’s senior side.
Nordsjaelland’s Transitions Coach Thomas Kristensen played over 100 games for the club and featured several times for the Danish national team. He also saw Yirenkyi from quite close quarters when he was with the Right to Dream international academy team which consisted of players from academies in Ghana, Denmark, and Egypt, who visited Denmark several times a year, and also took part in international tournaments with clubs like Borussia Dortmund and Paris Saint-Germain.
Kristensen first came across the Ghanaian two and a half years ago and points out Yirenkyi’s humble approach to life and the game.
“I think early on, it was more like his character which stood out. He was also a very good player, but he was very humble and hardworking and always ready to help others. He was always the last guy leaving the dressing room, cleaning up after everyone.”
“Last to leave the bus, last to leave the pitch. Always make sure that all the balls are there. So I think that what really stood out in the start was how humble he was.”
Right To Dream’s Ryan French, who was Yirenkyi’s first coach during the youngster’s time with the Right To Dream setup in Ghana and also managed the housing in which Yirenkyi lived in, looks back on when the midfielder was coming through the youth side.
He agrees that Yirenkyi came across as very shy but his competitiveness shone through on the pitch.
“To describe him as a person – when Caleb came in, he was very quiet, almost shy. However, when you put him in competitive situations, you really saw the strength of his personality or at least the strong attributes of his personality stand out. First, he was very competitive.”
“All the players there are very competitive. Everyone who arrives is determined to succeed. But with Caleb, it’s a steely determination. It’s almost like a quiet resolve.”
Yirenkyi still comes across as very competitive on the pitch too, as his attempts to keep winning his duels in the heart of the park whenever he features for Nordsjaelland would testify.
French believes it was one of his standout qualities even when the player was young.
“When you put him in competitive scenarios, you can really see him enjoy the process of competition and enjoy figuring out how he was going to succeed. I really admired that about Caleb, that he didn’t rush through competition or figuring that out. He was very competitive. He worked with the tools that he had and then just made them into strength.”
The 20-year-old does have a funny side to him that shines through when he is interacting with his teammates.
FotMob also asked Yirenkyi about his role models growing up. He, in his classic way, suggested he simply loves doing what he does for the love of the game.
“I don’t really have one, I just like to see the effort they put in the game and [play for] the joy of it.”
It is French who goes into the details of his playing style, noting his all-round abilities on the pitch.
“He loves contact. He likes to create. He really enjoys playing forward. He’s capable of a decisive pass. He’s so technical that, even at a young age, he had a mastery of striking the ball.”
Further, French reveals it was the youngster’s explorative nature that helped him across the way: “He was very curious about exploring that and figuring out how to do that well. So I see him do all of those things and I see him now do it with both that determination and that competitive spirit, but also with a process that he’s clearly enjoyed. He really enjoys playing football. And you can see that when he’s playing.”
Going deeper into his curious nature, he explains how this helped Yirenkyi use both feet effectively.
“When he was a young player, Caleb was very technical, capable of using both feet. He definitely prioritized one over the other, but he wasn’t shy to use the non-dominant foot and was even exploring ways to improve it at a young age. Like, he had this discipline, knowing that it was important to develop that side of his technical coordination but he also had a curiosity that was leading him in that direction.”
The Black Stars’ up and comer’s own words perhaps shed light on his sponge-like nature, as he is always super-focused on learning from what is around him.
Yirenkyi says: “I go on the pitch and do the best I can, try to learn everything every day from coaches and teammates.”
Yirenkyi has also been described as a multi-directional player and those traits were visible since he was very young. This has made sure that he has become a press-resistant midfielder, making him suited for a deeper role too.
“What we really noticed about Caleb is when we wanted him to play in every direction, to be this multi-directional player, he was key. And that was central to the team that we were playing in. This is a small-sided game, so we’re playing 5v5, 7v7, 9v9, at these ages, depending on the format and the day.”
“We’ve changed the game model, but Caleb was usually central to the team for playing in a multi-directional way. Playing multi-directional was really important, usually for his role in the position. However, as capable as he was to do that, he often had the ability to chase the pressure and go forward anyway.”
While Kristensen is proud of how everything is coming together for Yirenkyi, French believes it shows how well Right to Dream’s approaches talented players and nurtures them from an all-round standpoint.
The culture at the academy helps youngsters like Yirenkyi to have a reliable core group behind them which, in turn, goes a long way in shaping their career.
“The relationships they develop inside these environments create an incredible support network for the players. And you see that now. You know, the players, as they move on from the academy, staying in touch, the coaches, the scouting staff, it’s kind of just this big, giant network that’s something akin to a family.”
“So I give a lot of credit to Right to Dream for developing the whole person, not just the whole player, and staying true to that and staying focused on that.”
Kristensen adds that featuring at the World Cup will be a definite game-changer for the Nordsjaelland star.
“It’s a big thing for everyone to represent the national team. For him, it means a lot. You can really see how much he looks forward to it. It doesn’t matter if they have to travel halfway around the world to play a game.”
“The World Cup is a massive thing that hopefully he will be able to go to in the summer. And that is also something that will maybe take him to the next level playing against the best competition in the world.”
In his very own way, Yirenkyi tells FotMob about his ambitions for the summer: “The players and the staff will give everything they have to make our fans proud and I hope I will be a part of the experience.”
Indeed, Yirenkyi is someone who prefers to do his talking on the pitch. His demeanour is calm and he saves his energy for dominating the midfield, leaving his coaches to tell tales of what he truly brings to the table.
That is largely emblematic of who and what Yirenkyi is. Ghana can be assured that their future could well be in safe hands. Selection for the World Cup brings a ton of pressure with it but the 20-year-old is clearly someone who can handle whatever comes his way.
(Cover image from IMAGO)
You can follow every game from the Danish Superliga with FotMob this season — featuring deep stats coverage, xG, and player ratings. Download the free app here.
