The 24-year-old Ghanaian has selected a Black Stars-dominated squad but conspicuously leaves out some ‘big names’.
Chelsea winger Christian Atsu has included six Ghanaians in his Ultimate XI of former team mates.
The attacker, who has spent previous seasons with Portuguese sides Porto and Rio Ave, Vitesse Arnhem of the Netherlands, and English Premier League outfit Everton, is back with parent club Chelsea following a largely failed career with Premier League new boys Bournemouth.
“Number one, the goalkeeper would be Tim Howard from Everton,” Atsu told Cross the Line.
“On the right side, [I will have] Harrison Afful from the Ghana national team and then left back would be Baba Rahman from Ghana who is playing for Chelsea now.
“For the two central defenders, I give [the slots] to Jonathan Mensah and Bruno Alves and then in midfield,[I will have] Wakaso from the Ghana national team and Joao Moutinho who is now playing for Monaco.
“Number ten, I would give to James Rodriguez and on the right wing [will be] Hulk who is playing for Zenit now. I’d put myself on the left and the striker is Asamoah Gyan.”
Noticeably, Atsu’s XI doesn’t include any member of Chelsea as the playmaker is yet to make a competitive appearance for the Blues, having been shipped away on two separate loans following his acquisition in 2013.
Also absent are renowned names such as Radamel Falcao, Jackson Martinez and Nicholas Otamendi, who all played alongside the attacker while at Porto in 2012-13.
Black Stars icons such as Sulley Muntari, Michael Essien, Kevin-Prince Boateng, Kwadwo Asamoah and Andre Ayew have also been sidelined.
<<Print>>