Inusah Sherif Anamzooya swapped chasing a pro football dream for clippers, and Ghana's celebrity barbering scene hasn't been the same since.
Across Africa, countless young players chase the dream of professional football, and many eventually reinvent themselves beyond the pitch. Few have done it with more style than Inusah Sherif Anamzooya, known to Ghana as Number 10, a boy from Nima and Newtown in Accra who turned a stalled playing career into a celebrity barbering name.
Growing up between those two famously football-mad communities, Inusah poured his teenage years into sharpening his game. He loved the sport and wanted to make it his life's work. But as the years passed, the breakthrough did not arrive. Age was creeping up, opportunities were scarce, and he had to make a hard decision about his future.
Instead of clinging to a dream that kept slipping further away, he chose to learn a trade. The spark came in a barbershop. In April 2013, while getting a haircut, he found his inspiration. As he recalls, he told himself to use his art to showcase his talent. It was a defining moment, and he committed fully to mastering the craft.
His story reflects a pivot that many African athletes know well: when the pitch closes one door, entrepreneurship and creative skill open another. Number 10 may no longer be chasing the ball, but his bond with the game remains strong, and he has built a career on the same discipline, hunger and self-belief that football taught him.
