| Rauf Salifu | |
| Fullname: | Rauf Salifu |
| Birth Date: | 23 April 2002 |
| Birth Place: | Accra, Ghana |
| Height: | 1.76 m |
| Position: | Striker |
| Youthyears1: | 2018–2022 |
| Youthclubs1: | Accra Lions |
| Years1: | 2020–2022 |
| Clubs1: | Accra Lions |
| Caps1: | 28 |
| Goals1: | 21 |
| Years2: | 2022 |
| Clubs2: | → Sporting Kansas City II (loan) |
| Caps2: | 17 |
| Goals2: | 6 |
| Years3: | 2023 |
| Clubs3: | Selangor |
| Caps3: | 5 |
| Goals3: | 2 |
| Pcupdate: | May 20, 2023 |
Rauf Salifu (born 23 April 2002) is a Ghanaian professional footballer who plays as a striker.
Born in Accra, Salifu played for Accra Lions in his homeland.[1] He was part of the club to win the title in the 2020–21 Ghana Division One and ended up as top scorer the seasons Division One with 21 goals. Also, Salifu help the club earned promotion to the Ghana Premier League next season.[2] [3] After that, he received interest from clubs in Belgium, Turkey, Spain, and the Middle East.[4]
On 7 February 2022, Salifu moving abroad to United States and joining Sporting Kansas City II on loan.[5] He made his debut on 28 March with playing 58 minutes of the 1–1 away draw against Colorado Rapids II.[6] He scored his first goal later on 5 June 2022, however, his side lose point in the match against Minnesota United II.[7] On 3 July 2022, Salifu was named Man of the Match when he scored all four goals in a tight match against North Texas at home, which ended 4–2 with his club emerging victorious.[8] [9] It was the first time Salifu had scored four goals in one match in his entire career.[10] Overall, he scored 6 goals and provided one assist in 17 appearances for the club.[11]
On 20 January 2023, Salifu was signed by Malaysia Super League club Selangor on a permanent deal.[12] [13] Salifu made his debut for his new club in a 5–0 away win against Kuching City where he came on as a substitute for Ayron del Valle in the league match on 2 March.[14] Later, he scored his first goal for the club against Kelantan at MBPJ Stadium on 9 April, and scored two goals to help Selangor to a 3–0 win.[15] [16] He ended the season with two goals in 6 overall appearances with the club.
| Club | Season | League | Cup | League Cup | Continental | Total | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Division | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | |||
| Accra Lions | 2020–21 | Ghana Division One | 28 | 21 | — | — | — | 28 | 21 | ||||
| Sporting Kansas City II (loan) | 2022 | MLS Next Pro | 17 | 6 | — | — | — | 17 | 6 | ||||
| Total | 45 | 27 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 45 | 27 | |||
| Selangor | 2023 | Malaysia Super League | 5 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | 6 | 2 | ||
| Total | 5 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 6 | 2 | |||
| Career total | 50 | 29 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 51 | 29 | |||
Accra Lions