Former Ghana international striker Ibrahim Tanko has been appointed assistant coach of Japanese top flight side Urawa Red Diamonds.

The 31-year-old quit his post as the second team coach of German side Freiburg to take the appointment with the high flying Asian side.

He becomes the first former international Ghanaian footballer to land a major coaching post in one of the most respected leagues in the world. Tanko will work under coach Volker Finke who was the head coach at Freiburg, where the Ghanaian cut his coaching teeth.

This will pave the way for more former Ghana international players who played with top sides in Europe to take up to the coaching of top club sides in the world. Tanko abrogated his contract with SC Freiburg II in order to join Finke in Japan. Finke said: "The club tried several times to attract me to Japan after I was recommended to them by Bayern Munich." Finke was keen on coaching the Black Stars before the post was handed to Serbian Milovan Rajevac several months ago.

A nagging knee injury brought the glittering career of former national star Tanko to an abrupt end at the tender age of 30.

Tanko was forced to quit soccer after the end of last season following a protracted knee injury he sustained in 2002 whilst playing for Freiburg FC in the German Bundesliga.

Tanko who left King Faisal in 1993 for greener pastures in Europe, twice won the German league with Borrusia Dortmund in the nineties.

His greatest achievement however, was winning the European Champions League with Borrusia Dortmund in 1997.

He was once an integral member of the senior national team, the Black Stars, and his last outing for the national team was in a 2006 World Cup qualifier with Congo played at the Kumasi Sports Stadium.