Abedi Pele

Abedi Ayew Pele
	Abedi Pele in 2007
Personal information
Full name	Abedi Ayew
Date of birth	5 November 1964 (age 59)
Place of birth	Accra
Height	1.74 m (5 ft 9 in)
Position(s)	Attacking midfielder
Youth career
1970–1978	Great Falcons
Senior career*
Years	Team
1980–1982	Real Tamale United
1982–1983	Al Sadd
1983–1984	Zürich
1984	Dragons l'Ouémé
1985	Real Tamale United
1986–1987	Niort
1987	Mulhouse
1987–1993	Marseille
1988–1990	→ Lille (loan)
1993–1994	Lyon
1994–1996	Torino
1996–1998	1860 Munich
1998–2000	Al Ain
Total
International career
1982–1998	Ghana
Managerial career
2004–	Nania (Head Coach and President)
Medal record
Men's Football
Representing Ghana
Africa Cup of Nations
	*Club domestic league appearances and goals

Abedi Ayew (/əˈbeɪdi əˈjuː/ ə-BAY-dee ə-YOO; born 5 November 1964), known professionally as Abedi Pele, is a Ghanaian former professional footballer who played as an attacking midfielder and who served as captain of the Ghana national team. He is regarded as one of the greatest African footballers of all time.^[2]^[3] He played for several European clubs and found his fame in the French Ligue 1 with Lille and Marseille, the latter where he won the UEFA Champions League in 1993, among other titles.^[4] He was also the first to win CAF award in 1992.

Early life

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.^[5]

He attended Ghana Senior High School in Tamale. He was given the nickname "Pelé" due to his ability in football, which evoked comparisons to the late Brazilian athlete Pelé.^[6]^[7]

Club career

He was one of the first African players to make an impact on European club football. Abedi Pelé's nomadic career began with Real Tamale United in Ghana in 1978.^[6] He left Ghana after the 1982 African Cup of Nations to join Al Sadd in Qatar for a $1,000 transfer fee.^[8] 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. He began his career in Europe with French side Chamois Niort, subsequently joining Marseille before transferring to Lille on loan.

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.

He later joined Lyon after his loan spell at Lille. He also played for Torino of Italy and rounded out his European career with 1860 Munich.^[9]

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.

International career

Abedi Pele played for Ghana 73 times.^[10] 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. The performance earned him the added nickname of "The African Maradona".

Abedi was one of the first African football players to earn a top placing in FIFA World Player of the Year voting, doing so in 1991 and 1992. He won the France Football African Player of the Year Award three consecutive years, was the inaugural winner of the BBC African Sports Star of the Year in 1992, and the corresponding Confederation of African Football award twice.

Abedi 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. Aside from his exploits at the 1992 competition, Abedi also earned much acclaim for his three goals at the 1996 competition, where he led Ghana to the semi-finals of the competition despite critics expecting him to be in the twilight of his career.

After retirement

Ayew has participated in more FIFA organized charity matches than any other African player. Abedi Pele is a member of FIFA's Football Committee, and of the player status committees of both FIFA and CAF. That explains why the South African FA made him a Spokesperson for their 2006 World Cup bid.

In appreciation of Abedi's devout services to the country, the Ghanaian government awarded him the country's highest honour, the Order of the Volta (civil division). He thus became the first Ghanaian sportsman to be so honoured.

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. Abedi Pele scored a goal early in the first half and, after Vincent Guérin had equalised for Europe just before half-time, it was the 1998 African Player of the Year, Mustapha Hadji, who struck Africa's 78th-minute winner in the 2–1 win.^[11]

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. The squad sparked off memories of great footballing moments at club and international level.^[11]

Football Ambassador

In June 2001 he was nominated by the present government of Ghana to serve as the next Chairman of the FA, an opportunity he later gave up for a more experienced former coach of Ghana for which in his own words said that this was to be an opportunity to learn from his superiors.

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. He has also been involved with various charity work across the African continent.

Controversy

Abedi Pele was embroiled in a serious alleged Second Division Promotion Play-off bribery scandal^[12] for which the Ghana Football Association found him and others guilty. The guilty verdict attracted fines and suspensions of Abedi and others, but these have been quashed by the Appeals Committee of the Football Association after determining that there were irregularities in the initial judgement^[13] of the Ghana Football Association. The allegations stem from an astonishing 31–0 victory^[14] recorded by his club, Nania FC over a much respected Okwawu United side. A similarly farcical 28–0 result^[15] 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. Despite his vehement denials,^[16] Abedi had been chastised by some members of the Ghanaian media, who were demanding that strong punitive actions be taken against him, by Ghana's football governing body as well as the legal system.^[17] His wife Maha Ayew was banned from football against this Manipulations Scandal on 3 November 2008.^[18]

Style of play

As a playmaker, 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. He was also given the nicknames the "Maestro" and "The African Maradona."^[2]^[3]^[19]^[20]^[21]

Personal life

Abedi 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. André and Rahim – represented Ghana in the 2010 FIFA World Cup in South Africa while Jordan and André represented Ghana in the 2014 FIFA World Cup in Brazil and the 2022 FIFA World Cup in Qatar.^[22]

Career statistics

Club

Appearances and goals by club, season and competition^[1]
Club	Season
Club	Season	Division	Apps	Goals
Real Tamale United	1980	Ghana Premier League	11	0
	1981	Ghana Premier League	12	7
	1982	Ghana Premier League	23	14
	Total		46	21
Al Sadd	1982–83	Qatar Stars League	8	7
FC Zürich	1983–84	Nationalliga A	18	9
Dragons l'Ouémé	1984	Benin Premier League	8	11
Real Tamale United	1985	Ghana Premier League	19	7
Niort	1986–87	Division 2	32	14
Mulhouse	1987–88	Division 2	16	5
Marseille	1987–88	French Division 1	5	0
	1988–89	French Division 1	4	0
	1990–91	French Division 1	32	5
	1991–92	French Division 1	36	12
	1992–93	French Division 1	35	6
	Total		112	23
Lille (loan)	1988–89	French Division 1	24	7
	1989–90	French Division 1	37	9
	Total		61	16
Lyon	1993–94	French Division 1	29	3
Torino	1994–95	Serie A	32	10
	1995–96	Serie A	17	1
	Total		49	11
1860 Munich	1996–97	Bundesliga	25	1
	1997–98	Bundesliga	25	1
	Total		50	2
Al Ain	1998–99	UAE Football League	20	17
	1999–2000	UAE Football League	11	11
	Total		31	28
Career total			479	157

International

Appearances and goals by national team and year
National team	Year	Apps	Goals
Ghana
	1981	1	0
	1982	17	2
	1983	5	1
	1984	0	0
	1985	6	1
	1986	5	2
	1987	2	0
	1988	1	0
	1989	0	0
	1990	2	0
	1991	0	0
	1992	6	3
	1993	4	2
	1994	4	0
	1995	3	3
	1996	6	4
	1997	7	1
	1998	3	0
Total		73	19

Scores and results list Ghana's goal tally first, score column indicates score after each Pele goal.^[23]

List of international goals scored by Abedi Pele
No.	Date	Venue	Opponent	Score	Result	Competition	Ref.
1	17 February 1982	Cotonou, Benin	Niger	—	2-2	1982 West African Nations Cup	^[23]
2	7 July 1982	Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia	Singapore	—	3-0	1982 Merdeka Tournament	^[23]
3	28 April 1983	Accra, Ghana	Libya	1-0	1-0	Friendly	^[23]
4	14 April 1985	Stade du 28 Septembre, Conakry, Guinea	Guinea	—	4-1	1986 African Cup of Nations qualification	^[24]
5	26 February 1986	Accra, Ghana	Liberia	—	3-0	1986 West African Nations Cup	^[23]
6	2 March 1986	Accra, Ghana	Togo	1-0	1-0	1986 West African Nations Cup	^[23]
7	15 January 1992	Stade Aline Sitoe Diatta, Ziguinchor, Senegal	Zambia	1-0	1-0	1992 African Cup of Nations	^[25]
8	20 January 1992	Stade de l'Amitie, Dakar, Senegal	Congo	2-1	2-1	1992 African Cup of Nations	^[26]
9	23 January 1992	Stade de l'Amitie, Dakar, Senegal	Nigeria	1-1	2-1	1992 African Cup of Nations	^[27]
10	31 January 1993	Baba Yara Stadium, Kumasi, Ghana	Burundi	1-0	1-0	1994 FIFA World Cup qualification	^[28]
11	25 July 1993	Samuel Kanyon Doe Sports Complex, Monrovia, Liberia	Liberia	—	2-0	1994 African Cup of Nations qualification	^[29]
12	25 February 1995	Ullevaal Stadion, Oslo, Norway	Norway	1-1	2-3	Friendly	^[30]
13	25 February 1995	Ullevaal Stadion, Oslo, Norway	Norway	2-3	2-3	Friendly	^[30]
14	12 November 1995	Accra Sports Stadium, Accra, Ghana	Sierra Leone	2-0	2-0	Friendly	^[31]
15	5 January 1996	Prince Abdullah Al-Faisal Sports City, Jeddah, Saudi Arabia	Saudi Arabia	1-0	1-1	Friendly	^[32]
16	14 January 1996	EPRU Stadium, Port Elizabeth, South Africa	Ivory Coast	2-0	2-0	1996 African Cup of Nations	^[33]
17	19 January 1996	EPRU Stadium, Port Elizabeth, South Africa	Tunisia	1-0	2-1	1996 African Cup of Nations	^[34]
18	10 November 1996	Stade Omar Bongo, Libreville, Gabon	Gabon	1-1	1-1	1998 FIFA World Cup qualification	^[35]
19	13 July 1997	Accra Sports Stadium, Accra, Ghana	Zimbabwe	1-0	2-1	1998 FIFA World Cup qualification	^[36]