A versatile defender, John Painstil is likely to spend much of Germany 2006 on the bench. Black Stars coach Ratomir Dujkovic views the right-back as an important squad member - with his ability to play on the left or in midfield a major plus - but only used him four times during the qualifiers. Painstil made his name at the 2001 FIFA World Youth Championship, when Ghana reached the final only to lose out to hosts Argentina. A call-up to the senior national team soon followed and he was part of the squads for the African Cup of Nations in 2002 and 2006. He currently plays his club football for Hapoel Tel Aviv, having moved to Israel to join local rivals Maccabi Tel-Aviv in 2003.