Nii Lamptey

He also founded Glow-lamp International School , so as to give back to society and ensure than children have the chance to learn to read and write: something he was never able to do. As of 2017, his school has almost 400 pupils. He also has a football academy he coaches at in Elmina.

As of 2016, Lamptey is engaged to actress and model Ruweida Yakuba with whom he has two children.

When Lamptey was eight, his parents divorced, and his stepfather threw him out of the household. Lamptey found refuge in a Muslim football camp and converted from Christianity to Islam to qualify for entry. When his stepfather found this out, he accused his stepson of sacrilege and often quarreled in front of the football camp. But soon, it became evident what talent young Lamptey had, and he was called up to Ghana's junior squads. He was eventually reconciled with his father – and readopted Christianity – in 1997, only to lose him to an alcohol-related illness.

Following Atkinson's dismissal as Villa boss, he re-signed Lamptey for his new club Coventry City. Again Lamptey would score his only goals in the League Cup, netting twice against Hull City (once in the home leg and once in the away leg). His time at Coventry further proved that Lamptey was not cut out for FA Premier League football. However, despite his failure at Coventry, his name was not forgotten. From the start of the 2012–13 season, a group of Coventry City fans launched a podcast entitled The Nii Lamptey Show in honour of their former player.

On 19 February 2009 signed a contract as Assistant at Sekondi Wise Fighters; here he assisted the new Head Coach Charles Akonnor. He also owns a football academy in Elmina that he coaches at.

Lamptey retired from football in 2008. He now breeds cattle and sheep on a farm on the outskirts of Accra. He served as a pundit on Ghanaian television during the 2014 World Cup.

On 5 March 2007, Lamptey signed for South African side Jomo Cosmos, playing here until 1 December 2007.

His international career with Ghana dried up after he was sent off in the 1996 African Cup of Nations semi-final game against South Africa on 31 January 1996. The Black Stars finished fourth, after losing to Zambia in the 3rd Place play-off game without the suspended Lamptey. Lamptey did not play for Ghana again after they lost 8–2 to Brazil in São José do Rio Preto, 27 March 1996 in a Pre-1996 Summer Olympics friendly match. Many observers believe that the numerous back and forth travels to Africa for International matches, stalled his young career at Club level. His career later went into a slump.

Ron Atkinson brought Lamptey to Aston Villa in the summer of 1994. This move came as a surprise, as PSV was a more successful club than Aston Villa at the time and Lamptey was one of the star players at PSV. However, Lamptey had signed an exclusive marketing contract with an Italian player agent. The player's agent, Antonio Caliendo, would get 25% of whatever Lamptey's transfer fee was, and accordingly sold him to Villa as that would mean the largest commission for himself. Lamptey's illiteracy allowed Caliendo to take advantage of him, even pocketing a signing on bonus intended for Lamptey. He failed to impress at Villa Park, scoring just three times, all of which came in the League Cup against Wigan Athletic (once in the home leg and twice in the away leg).

Lamptey married Gloria Appiah in 1993. The marriage was a controversial one, angering his brothers, as Gloria is from a different tribe (Fante) to his (Ga). He had five children, of whom two died to lung diseases. However, a DNA test revealed he was not the biological father of the remaining three children and he divorced her. Although she took him to court to get 50% of his assets in the divorce, this was refused by the judge.

At just 16 years, Nii Lamptey scored on his senior debut International for Ghana in a 1992 African Cup of Nations Qualifying home match against Togo in the 43rd minute. Ghana won the match 2–0. He became a regular International and his superb performances earned him a starting spot in the "Black Stars", forming a potent attacking force together with team captain Abedi Pele and Super striker Tony Yeboah. Ghana lost the final of the 1992 African Cup of Nations to Côte d'Ivoire on a marathon penalty shoot-out in Senegal, a game the mercurial Lamptey started at just 17 years. He continued to blossom at senior International level at such a young age, playing any and every Ghana International game since then.

Lamptey first began to attract global attention in 1991 he led Ghana to win the 1991 FIFA U-17 World Championship with the team known as the Black Starlets after playing in the 1989 version as a 15 year old. He won the FIFA Best Player of the tournament – the Golden Ball award in a competition that also included Argentina's Juan Sebastian Verón and Marcelo Gallardo and Italy's Alessandro del Piero, Lamptey's star shone more brilliantly than them all, as he dominated everyone in the competition. He was subsequently touted as the next Pelé; by Pelé himself. He scored four goals in that tournament. Lamptey later stated that although appreciated, Pele's praise made life far harder for him, since everyone therefore had extremely high expectations of him that he was not always able to fulfil.

In recognition of his exquisite football he displayed at the FIFA U-17 Tournament, he was named the 1991 fifth best African Footballer of the Year. Lamptey's brilliance led an enterprising and unpredictable Ghana's U-20 team, known as the "Black Satellites" to win the African U-20 Cup of Nations and then lost the final of the 1993 FIFA World Youth Championship held in Australia to Brazil, who came from a goal down to win the trophy at the death, 2–1. He also scored in the match against Portugal, which Ghana won 2–0. In the Summer of 1992, young superstar Nii Lamptey led Ghana to win a Bronze medal at the Barcelona 1992 Summer Olympics football tournament. Ghana, who had the youngest team by far in the competition (the average age of the squad was 18.8 years), were surprise bronze medallists, becoming the first African nation to earn a medal. They did so in a 1–0 victory over yet another surprise, Australia. Lamptey thus led Ghana to success at any Youth International Tournament in which he played.

Nii Odartey Lamptey (born 10 December 1974) is a former Ghanaian professional footballer and current assistant manager of Sekondi Wise Fighters as well as the proprietor of a school in Accra called Glow-Lamp International School. During his career he played as a striker from 1990 until 2008 notably for Aston Villa, PSV Eindhoven, Coventry City and the Ghana national football team.