Abedi Ayew, professionally known as Abedi Pele, was born on November 5, 1964. He is a Ghanaian former professional footballer who played as an attacking midfielder and served as captain of the Ghana national team.
Abedi Pele at the FIFA Beach Soccer World Cup in Ravenna 2011. Source: Wikimedia Commons
He is regarded as one of the greatest African footballers of all time. He played for several European clubs and found his fame in the French Ligue 1 with Lille and Marseille. At the latter, he won the UEFA Champions League in 1993, among other titles.
Abedi Pelé Ayew [Goals & Skills]
Early Life and Education
Abedi Ayew was born into a family in the town of Kibi and grew up in the town of Dome at the northern outskirts of the city Accra. He attended Ghana Senior High School in Tamale.
Club Career
Abedi Pelé’s nomadic career began with Real Tamale United in Ghana in 1978. After the 1982 African Cup of Nations, he left Ghana to join Al Sadd in Qatar for a $1,000 transfer fee. After a short spell with FC Zürich, he returned to Ghana but, after both Kotoko and Hearts of Oak failed to sign him, joined AS Dragons FC de l'Ouémé in Benin. He would later return to Ghana and play for Real Tamale United for one season.
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His European career began with French side Chamois Niort, subsequently joining Montpellier and Lille before transferring to Marseille. He later joined Lyon. He also played for Torino of Italy and rounded out his European career with 1860 Munich.
Abedi Pele went on to sign a two-year contract with Al Ain in the United Arab Emirates and was nominated one of the best foreign players to play in the UAE league.
Marseille
At club level, he was a key figure in Marseille's dominance of the French league, resulting in four league championships and two European Cup finals appearances. At Marseille, he was a member of the team's "Magical Trio" along with Jean-Pierre Papin and Chris Waddle, spearheading perhaps Europe's strongest league side of the early 1990s, including a European Cup final defeat in 1991. Abedi was the only remaining member of the trio still with the side when Marseille defeated Milan in the 1993 Champions League final in Munich.
International Career
Abedi Pele played for Ghana 73 times. He was a fixture in the African Championships of the 1980s and '90s with his national team, and a member of Ghana's victorious team in the 1982 African Cup of Nations, but he never had an opportunity to play in the FIFA World Cup, as the Black Stars failed to qualify for the competition during his career. However, he was arguably the most dominant figure on the African football scene for nearly a decade.
His performance in the 1992 African Cup of Nations, for which he was voted the player of the tournament, was particularly notable, as he scored in three successive rounds to help Ghana reach the final, but picked up a yellow card in the semi-final against Nigeria that meant he was suspended for the final; Ghana went on to lose on penalties to the Ivory Coast.
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Abedi Pele holds the record for most appearances at the African Cup of Nations. He made his first appearance at the in Libya in 1982 and continued to compete at the tournament for the next 16 years, his last appearance coming in the 1998 edition in Burkina Faso.
Until 7 June 2013, when he was surpassed by Asamoah Gyan, he was the top goal scorer for the Black Stars with 33 goals.
Style of Play
As a playmaker, Abedi Pele was known for his speed, close control, and dribbling skills, as well as his passing and goalscoring ability. He usually played as an attacking midfielder or as a forward.
Honors and Achievements
- African Player of the Year: 1991, 1992, 1993
- BBC African Sports Star of the Year: 1992
- Golden Ball Award (Best Player at the 1992 African Cup of Nations)
- Man of the Match in Marseille's 1993 UEFA Champions League Final win over Milan
- Order of the Volta (civil division) by the Ghanaian government
He was also awarded the golden ball award for being the best player at the 1992 African Cup of Nations, and was the "man of the match" in Marseille's historic UEFA Champions League final win over Milan in 1993.
Along with tremendous individual achievements, the iconic player has an impressive trophy pile that includes French Ligue 1, UEFA Champions League, AFCON, and the UAE league title.
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Life After Retirement
Abedi Pele has participated in more FIFA organized charity matches than any other African player. He is a member of FIFA's Football Committee, and of the player status committees of both FIFA and CAF. In appreciation of Abedi Pele's service to the country, the Ghanaian government gave him the country's highest honour, the Order of the Volta (civil division). At present he owns a first division club, called Nania, with the future hopes of nurturing the young talent to augment the fledgling league of the country.
On 29 January 1997, the first UEFA-CAF Meridian Cup All-Star Match between Europe and Africa was played in Benfica's Estádio da Luz in Lisbon and was televised in 100 countries worldwide, including 30 in Africa, for an audience of 60 million viewers.
In 2001, the UEFA-CAF Meridian Cup All-Star Match format was changed slightly for the second All-Star Match to bring together players aged between 35 and 45 who now revel in their 'veteran' status and play the game purely for pleasure.
Personal Life
Abedi Pele is the brother of Kwame and Sola Ayew (ex-Hearts of Oak and Black Meteors). He is also the father of André, Jordan, Rahim, Imani, and is married to Maha. His sons, Ibrahim, André and Jordan, have also become internationals for Ghana.
Three of his sons, Ibrahim, André and Jordan, have also become internationals for Ghana; Ibrahim and André were selected for the 2010 FIFA World Cup, while André and Jordan played at the 2014 World Cup.
Controversies
Abedi Pele was embroiled in a serious alleged Second Division Promotion Play-off bribery scandal for which the Ghana Football Association found him and others guilty. The guilty verdict attracted fines and suspensions of Abedi Pele and others, but these were quashed by the Appeals Committee of the Football Association after determining that there were irregularities in the initial judgement of the Ghana Football Association.
The allegations stem from an astonishing 31-0 victory recorded by his club, Nania FC over a much respected Okwawu United side. A similarly farcical 28-0 result was recorded in another second division match played between Great Mariners and Tudu Mighty Jets on the same weekend. The clubs involved in that Second Division Promotion Play-off Zone III match were also investigated and subject to the prospect of stiff penalties and demotions.
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