“Chose the easy path”
Whenever the fixture schedule allows, Adjetey flies back to Ghana. The friends are still the same. In his luggage: football boots, shirts and small things for the boys from back then. “They supported me on my journey, know my story and were always by my side,” he says. “I want to give something back – and maybe push them to take the next step.” Many of his friends play football, some even professionally. “Thankfully, not much has changed,” says Adjetey. And he doesn’t just mean his surroundings, but himself as well.
His footballing journey began at the local Teshie Football Academy. In his early years, Adjetey often stood in goal. “That was the only position nobody argued about,” he admits honestly. “I chose the easy path.” An important role in his early career was played by his father, whom Adjetey lost at a young age in a car accident. “I am very sad that he can no longer witness what he invested so much time and passion in.” His father’s influence shaped his mindset – and so the goalkeeper gradually became an outfield player who took on responsibility.
Just before plan B
As the fun of football gradually turned into a real prospect, Adjetey initially encountered resistance. “My mother wasn’t keen on the idea,” he says openly. Not because she didn’t wish him the dream, but because she knew how tough the sport can be. His mother herself was a talented track and field athlete. “She had no professional support, no one who could help her. Her biggest fear was that my dream would end in the same way.”
At 15 or 16, Adjetey therefore stopped playing football for around six months and focused on school. Not out of doubt in himself, but out of respect for his mother. On a day off, he played with friends – and was spotted by then top-flight side Accra Great Olympics. The club wanted to sign him and eventually also convinced his mother to give football another chance.
“I’m sure she’s happy with the decision today,” says Adjetey with a smile. And if it hadn’t worked out, he had a plan B. “I wanted to become a journalist, write articles or books. I read an incredible amount to improve my written English.”
A phone call that changed everything
A spell at Berekum Chelsea followed. And then, three and a half years ago, everything happened very quickly. “We played a small tournament in France with the Ghana U20 national team,” Adjetey recalls. “Shortly before the return flight, my agent told me that I wasn’t going back to Ghana, but to Switzerland for a trial.”
He landed in Basel with a backpack and a small sports bag. “I first had to buy clothes, especially for those temperatures. I wasn’t used to that at all.” He was accompanied by Emmanuel Essiam, his former team-mate, who moved to Basel in January 2022.
Essiam was in fact the reason Adjetey was discovered at all. A delegation led by Basel president David Degen travelled to Ghana in November 2021 to watch him at a tournament – and in doing so came across his team-mate Jonas Adjetey. Shortly afterwards, the trial followed and then the transfer.
Breakthrough in Basel
For over a year, Adjetey initially gained match practice with FC Basel’s U21 side before finally making the leap to the first team in spring 2024 – and quickly becoming indispensable there. Looking back, he speaks about that time with great gratitude. “FC Basel means a lot to me. That’s where I was shaped into the player I am today. They invested an incredible amount of time and effort to help me develop.”
The two faces of Adjetey
Anyone who encounters Adjetey away from the pitch meets a calm, polite person who almost always has a smile on his face. “That’s how I was brought up,” he says. Someone who wants to learn something new every day. On the pitch, another side emerges. “If you want to win, you have to be a fighter,” says Adjetey. Switching that switch comes easily to him. “When the game starts, I’m a different person.”
His performances in the Swiss Super League did not go unnoticed. Adjetey became a Ghana international. In September 2025, he made his first starts in World Cup qualifying – playing the full 90 minutes both against Chad (1:1) and Mali (1:0).
“It’s a privilege, a great honour,” he says. “When I was first called up, I was really surprised. There are so many players who are at least just as good.” With the 1:0 win against Comoros in October 2025, Ghana qualified for the 2026 World Cup in the USA, Canada and Mexico – for the fifth time overall. For Adjetey, it would be his first World Cup appearance if he makes the squad in the summer.
A new home for the family
Adjetey does not see himself as a star, even though he is regularly recognised on the streets back home and feels a responsibility towards the next generation. “There are certainly children who look up to me, just as I used to look up to other players. That’s why I try to be the best possible example.”
His sister and his mother still live in Ghana. Adjetey plans to bring them to Wolfsburg. “I want them to live here with me.” The Bundesliga had long been a dream that became tangible with the move to Switzerland – and is now a reality. “I tried to stay fully focused and give everything every single day,” he says. “Because what happens in the future starts today.”
