Former MK Dons striker Brandon Thomas-Asante grabs assist as Ghana win World Cup opener

Former MK Dons striker Brandon Thomas-Asante grabbed the assist for the match-winning goal as Ghana beat Panama in the World Cup.

Thomas-Asante came off the bench to set up Caleb Yirenkyi for the 95th minute winner, with the goal seeing Ghana take the victory in Toronto and pick up their first win at the World Cup.

The striker, who was born in Milton Keynes to a Ghanian father and started out in the Dons’ academy, is the latest player with connections to MK Dons to play in the World Cup. Former Dons academy players Max Crocombe and Kevin Danso have played for New Zealand and Austria respectively in previous matches at the currently ongoing tournament, while famously, former MK Dons star Dele Alli scored for England against Sweden in the 2018 tournament’s quarter final.

Thomas-Asante will be hoping to feature in Ghana’s second game, which sees them take on England in Boston next Tuesday (23/06).

The call-up to the Ghana World Cup squad continues a fine year for Thomas-Asante, who scored 12 goals in the just-concluded 2025/26 season to help Coventry City win promotion to the Premier League for the first time since 2001. The striker also enjoyed individual acclaim, winning the Championship Player of the Month in October 2025.

The striker made 35 appearances in all competitions for the MK Dons first team but was released at the end of the 2018/19 season.

After scoring 30 goals in over 125 appearances in for Salford City, Thomas-Asante moved to the Championship when he joined West Bromwich Albion in 2022.

The attacker would score 12 goals in all competitions for the Baggies in the 2023/24 season, making him top scorer for a West Brom side that ended the season 5th, only to lose to Southampton in the play-offs. He duly moved to Coventry in 2024.