After another lengthy absence from the Black Queens, Mukarama Abdulai was handed a fresh opportunity when coach Kim Lars Björkegren recalled her for the October 2026 Olympic qualifiers against Mauritius.
The forward made her return count in the second leg at the Essipong Stadium, scoring twice as Ghana secured a 7-0 victory to advance with a 10-0 aggregate win over Mauritius on Tuesday.
Her goals capped a dominant performance by the Black Queens, but for Mukarama, they carried significance beyond the scoreline.
In 2018, Mukarama Abdulai looked destined for greatness. Young and fearless in front of goal, she led Ghana’s charge at the FIFA U-17 Women’s World Cup.
At a time when Ghanaian football fans were searching for the next big star in women’s football, she gave them reason to believe.
Years later, after injuries, interrupted progress and lengthy spells away from the national team, Mukarama is still fighting to fulfil that promise.
Her brace in the Black Queens’ 7-0 demolition of Mauritius on Tuesday, October 13, 2026, served as a timely reminder of the talent that once made her one of Ghana’s most exciting prospects.
A star born in Uruguay
Mukarama announced herself to the world at the 2018 FIFA U-17 Women’s World Cup in Uruguay, where she captained the Black Maidens and finished as the tournament’s top scorer with seven goals.
She also won the Bronze Ball as the tournament’s third-best player, capping a remarkable campaign that earned her widespread recognition.
Her performances sparked excitement about her future and calls for her to be given opportunities with the senior national team.
That opportunity arrived in May 2019, when she made her Black Queens debut against Senegal at the WAFU Zone B Women’s Cup. She marked the occasion with a goal in Ghana’s 2-0 victory.
However, establishing herself at the highest level proved more difficult than her spectacular rise at youth level had suggested.
Dream interrupted by injuries
Mukarama’s progress was disrupted by a knee injury that kept her out of action for almost two years.
Her career subsequently took her to Spain, where she joined Deportivo Alavés in 2021.
However, injuries also affected her time there, limiting her opportunities before she and the club mutually agreed to terminate her contract in January 2023.
Her return to Ghana offered an opportunity to rebuild. She joined Hasaacas Ladies and rediscovered her scoring touch, finishing the 2023/24 Women’s Premier League season with 11 goals.
She also played a decisive role for the Black Princesses at the 2023 African Games, scoring the winning goal in Ghana’s 2-1 victory over Nigeria in the final.
Those performances earned her a return to the Black Queens in 2024, although she still had to work to re-establish herself in the senior team.
As Mukarama later explained to reporters, returning after such a difficult period required considerable effort.
Her latest performances have offered another glimpse of the finishing ability that made her a star at youth level and a reminder that her career still has room for a new chapter.
At 24, Mukarama is no longer the teenage sensation who took Uruguay by storm. She is a player who has experienced the excitement of early success, the frustration of injuries and the challenge of rebuilding a career.
The potential that once made her one of Ghana’s most talked-about young footballers has never been in doubt.
The challenge now is to stay fit, maintain her form and turn this latest return into a sustained run with the Black Queens.
Against Mauritius, she took an important step. The next challenge is to ensure it is not just another fleeting moment in a career that has promised so much.
