Captain Stephen Appiah will be a key figure for the Black Stars at Germany 2006. The 25-year-old will form part of a strong midfield unit alongside Michael Essien and Sulley Ali Muntari, with the highly-rated trio expected to pose problems for Ghana's more illustrious opponents in Group E. Appiah has been a member of the national team since he was 16, but is best known for his exploits in European club football. The box-to-box midfielder joined Udinese in 1997 and spent the next eight years in Italy, going on to play for Parma, Brescia and Juventus, where he picked up Coppa Italia and Serie A winner's medals. He joined Fenerbahce in 2005 and is already recognised as one of the best midfielders in the Turkish SuperLiga.