Manchester United footballer Harry Maguire accepted an apology from a Ghanaian MP who humiliated him during a budget discussion last year.

Opposition member Isaac Adongo contrasted Vice-President Mahamadu Bawumia’s economic administration of the beleaguered West African nation to Maguire’s on-field performance.

Adongo compared Bawumia to Maguire in a speech that was extensively shared on social media last year, describing Maguire as “the biggest threat at the heart of the Manchester United defense.”

The remark was part of a larger speech in which Bawumia was accused of mismanaging the economy and inflicting suffering on Nigerians.

Ghana is experiencing its greatest economic crisis in a generation, which has resulted from spiraling public debt, which has caused high inflation and undermined the local currency.

On Tuesday, during a similar debate on the 2024 budget, Adongo stated that Maguire had “turned the corner” and retracted his statement.

“I now apologise to Harry Maguire,” Adongo stated. “He is a transformational footballer… now scoring goals for Manchester United.”

Maguire accepted the apologies in a Wednesday post on X.

“See you at Old Trafford soon,” he said, alluding to Manchester United’s stadium.

He did not, however, back down from his criticism of Bawumia, accusing him of “roaming” about the International Monetary Fund (IMF) “with a cup in hand.”

Last year, Ghana’s government sought assistance from the IMF. In May, the Fund approved a three-year, US$3 billion (RM14 billion) initiative, with an initial US$600 million disbursement.

Bawumia is the head of the government’s economic management team and the ruling party’s nominee for the 2024 elections.