Ayew began his career in Germany, playing for1860 Munich, while debuting for the club at age seven. In 2006, he signed with his father's former club,Marseille, and spent two seasons in the club's youth academy before making his debut in the2007–08 season. Ayew spent the following two seasons on loan withLorient andArles-Avignon, helping the latter team earn promotion toLigue 1 for the first time. In 2010, he returned to Marseille and became an integral part of the first team under managerDidier Deschamps, making over 200 appearances and winning consecutiveTrophée des Champions andCoupe de la Ligues in both 2010 and 2011.
Ayew began his career with1860 Munich, where his father played. At the age of ten, Ayew was playing forNania, where his father is club chairman, inAccra, Ghana. After four years of plying his trade in the club's youth academy, he was promoted to the team's senior squad at the age of 14. Despite being on the senior team, he still participated in youth-sanctioned events, such as the 2004 edition of the Altstetten U-19 Tournament, in which he was named one of the tournament's most famous players.[7] Ayew played professional football at Nania for two seasons before departing the club and returning to France to play for his father's former clubMarseille. Ayew joined the club on anaspirant ("trainee") contract and, upon his arrival, was put into the club's youth system and placed onto Marseille's first professionalcontract, agreeing to a three-year deal.[8] He was officially promoted to the senior team and assigned the squad number 29 shirt.
Ayew made his professional debut forMarseille on 15 August 2007 in a league match againstValenciennes, coming on as asubstitute forModeste M'bami in the 89th minute. Marseille lost the match 2–1.[9] On 6 November, he made hisUEFA Champions League debut against Portuguese championsPorto at theEstádio do Dragão, playing on the left wing in place ofBolo Zenden. Ayew played 77 minutes before being substituted out as Marseille were defeated 2–1. Ayew earned praise from the media for his performance of containing Portoright-backJosé Bosingwa.[10][11][12] Five days later, Ayew earned his first league start againstLyon at theStade de Gerland. Ayew again featured in the team as Marseille pulled off a 2–1 victory.[13] Ayew finished the season with 13 total appearances, nine in league play and two in cup play, in addition to two Champions League appearances. Ayew's first season with the club drew the attention ofPremier League clubArsenal, who reportedly offered Marseille €6 million for the player.[14] Marseille, however, denied the offer.
For the2008–09 season, Ayew switched to thesquad number 8 shirt, though due to the arrival of attackersHatem Ben Arfa,Sylvain Wiltord,Bakari Koné andMamadou Samassa, he was deemed surplus to requirements for the season and was loaned out to fellow first division clubLorient for the season. Ayew was used bymanagerChristian Gourcuff as one of the team's focal points of the attack alongsideFabrice Abriel,Kevin Gameiro andRafik Saïfi and made his debut on 16 August 2008, coming on as a substitute in a 0–0 draw against Lyon.[15] On 27 September 2008, he scored his first professionalgoal after netting the opener in the team's 1–1 draw withSochaux.[16] A month later, he scored his second career goal in a 4–1 rout ofSaint-Étienne.[17] Despite the initial success, Ayew was limited throughout the league campaign to just appearing as a substitute. He finished the season with 22 league appearances and three goals and, on 30 June 2009, returned to Marseille.
Two months later, on 31 August 2009, the last day of thetransfer window, new managerDidier Deschamps confirmed that Ayew would be joining newly promotedLigue 2 clubArles-Avignon onloan for the2009–10 season.[18] Ayew was given the number 10 shirt and his favorable right wing position.[19] He made his debut with the club on 11 September, appearing as a substitute in a 1–1 draw withAngers.[20] The following week, he scored his first goal for the club in a 4–2 defeat toTours.[21] He was ever present in the team's fall campaign, but due to the2010 Africa Cup of Nations, he missed the month of January. Ayew returned to the team on 5 February 2010 and appeared as a starter in all of the team's matches for the rest of the campaign. On 9 April, with the team in the midst of a promotion battle, Ayew scored a double in the team's 2–1 victory overLe Havre.[22] The following week, he struck again scoring the opener in the team's 1–1 draw withGuingamp.[23] On 14 May, Arles-Avignon secured promotion to Ligue 1 following the team's 1–0 win overClermont. Ayew started and played the entire match.[24] He finished the campaign with Arles-Avignon appearing in 26 total matches and scoring four goals.
After the successful league campaign with Arles-Avignon, on 16 May 2010, Marseille manager Didier Deschamps confirmed that Ayew would be returning to the team and that he will be earning some significant playing time with the club for the2010–11 season.[25] On 5 August, Ayew signed a three-year contract extension with Marseille.[26] The new deal kept him at the club until June 2014.[27] Despite the arrival ofLoïc Rémy, Ayew was inserted as a starter by Deschamps and scored his first goal in the second league match of the season against Valenciennes in a 3–2 defeat.[28] Following theinternational break in September, he scored a double against his former club Arles-Avignon in a 3–0 win.[29]
In theCoupe de la Ligue, Ayew scored goals in victories over Guingamp andMonaco in the Round of 16 and quarter-finals, respectively.[30][31] On 20 November, he scored the only goal in a victory overToulouse. Ayew scored the goal two minutes from time.[32] On 27 April 2011, Ayew scored his first professionalhat-trick in a 4–2 victory overNice. His younger brother,Jordan, converted the other goal for Marseille in the win. Because of his outstanding performances throughout the season, Ayew was nominated for Ligue 1 Young Player of the Season, along withMarvin Martin andYann M'Vila.[33] He was voted Marseille's Best Player for the Season for 2010–11.[34]
Ayew was named in the squad for the2011 Trophée des Champions match againstLille held on 27 July 2011 at theStade de Tanger in Morocco.[35] He scored a hat-trick, including two 90th minute penalties, ensuring Marseille a 5–4 victory.[36] In December 2011, Ayew signed a one-year contract extension until 2015 with a release clause of €18 million. On 22 February 2012, Ayew scored a goal in the 93rd minute, in a 1–0 victory overInter Milan in the2011–12 UEFA Champions League round of 16 first leg.[37] However, Marseille managed to qualify to the quarter-finals by winning on away goals rule, after drawing 2–2 on aggregate.
On 4 April 2014, Ayew scored only his second hat-trick of his Marseille career, inspiring his club to a 3–1league victory, their first in seven outings, over bottom clubAjaccio.[38]
On 10 June 2015, Premier League sideSwansea City announced that Ayew had joined the club on a free transfer, signing a four-year contract with theSwans pending Premier League and international clearance.[39] Ayew scored his first goal for the club on his debut againstChelsea on 8 August 2015 in a 2–2 draw.[40] On 15 August 2015, Ayew scored his second goal in his second game for Swansea in their 2–0 victory againstNewcastle United.[41] He continued his form in the next league fixture againstManchester United, where he scored and created an assist.[42] Ayew was namedPremier League Player of the Month for August 2015 and also received Swansea's monthly award the GWFX Player of the Month for August after making an immediate impact, scoring three goals in his first four league appearances.[43]
On 8 August 2016, Ayew signed forWest Ham United for a then club record fee of £20.5 million on a three-year contract, with the option of an extra two years.[45] Ayew's debut game for West Ham, on 15 August 2016, againstChelsea, lasted 35 minutes before he was substituted after sustaining a thigh injury.[46] He returned to first team action on 26 October 2016 in a 2–1 home win against Chelsea in theEFL Cup.[47] On 26 December 2016 Ayew scored his first West Ham goal. Playing away at his former club, Swansea City, Ayew scored the first goal in a 4–1 West Ham win.[48] Ayew left West Ham in January 2018 having scored 12 goals in 50 games in all competitions.[49]
In July 2018, Ayew joinedSüper Lig clubFenerbahçe on a season-long loan. The deal reportedly included an option for the club to sign Ayew permanently at the end of the loan period.[51][52]
After scoring five goals in 29Süper Lig appearances, Ayew returned to Swansea at the end of his loan.[53]
On 13 August 2019, Ayew made his first appearance for Swansea since 2018, scoring two goals in a 3–1 win againstNorthampton Town in theEFL Cup.[54] He scored 18 goals from 47 appearances[55] as Swansea reached theChampionshipplay-off semi-finals, losing 3–2 toBrentford on aggregate.[56]
During the2020–21 season, Ayew scored 17 goals in all competitions, including once in the first leg of theplay-off semi-final win overBarnsley.[57]
On 29 May 2021, Ayew made his final appearance for Swansea, playing the full 90 minutes as the team lost 2–0 to Brentford in theChampionship play-off final atWembley Stadium.[58] On 4 June, Swansea announced Ayew would leave the club upon the expiration of his contract.[58]
On 21 July 2021,Qatar Stars League clubAl Sadd SC announced that they had reached an agreement to sign Ayew on a free transfer.[59] He was expected to arrive in Doha the following morning to complete the routine procedures, followed by the signing of the contract and the official announcement.[60][61][62] On 22 July, the club announced his transfer and unveiled him after he had signed a two-year contract with an option for an additional year. He was reportedly set to earn around $220,000 a month.[63][62] He joined the club 39 years after his father Abedi Pele also signed and played for them in 1983.[63]
During hisonly full season at Al Sadd, Ayew finished as second-top goalscorer in theQSL as the team won its 16th league title.[64]
On 2 February 2023, following his release from Al Sadd, Ayew joined Premier League clubNottingham Forest on a contract until the end of the season.[65]
On 26 April, Ayew came on as late substitute in a 3–1 victory overBrighton & Hove Albion to make his 100th Premier League appearance.[66][67]
On 11 November 2023, Ayew completed a transfer to French Ligue 1 clubLe Havre.[70][71] Later that month, on 26 November, he made his debut for the Normandy club as a 65th minute substitute in a Ligue 1 fixture againstNantes and was sent off three minutes later for a foul onEray Cömert.[72]
On 4 October 2024, Ayew rejoined Le Havre after his contract had expired in the summer by signing a one-year deal.[73][74]
Due to having dualFrench andGhanaian citizenship, Ayew was eligible forFrance andGhana. He initially chose to represent France, citing the failed inquiries of theGhana Football Association to contact him as his reason why, but declared Ghana to be his first option, citing his father. Ayew was subsequently called up and participated in a training camp with theFrance under-18 team. In 2007, he turned down several offers to play for the country'sunder-21 team. Ayew later warned the Ghana Football Association that he was on the verge of representing France at international level, stating, "At this moment there is only one choice to make because I have only received an invitation from one country and that is France."[75]
At the youth level, Ayew represented Ghana atunder-20 level andcaptained the team to victory at both the2009 African Youth Championship and the2009 FIFA U-20 World Cup. At the African Youth Championship, Ayew scored two goals againstCameroon in the group stage andSouth Africa in the semi-finals. The 4–3 semi-final result progressed Ghana to the final where the team defeated group stage opponents Cameroon 2–0. The championship victory resulted in the team qualifying for the ensuing U-20 World Cup. In the tournament, Ayew scored twice againstEngland in a 4–0 rout and the equalizing goal against South Africa in the round of 16. Ghana later won the match inextra time through a goal fromDominic Adiyiah. Ayew thencaptained the team to victories over theSouth Korea andHungary in the quarter-finals and semi-finals, respectively, to reach the final where they facedBrazil. In the final, Ghana defeated the Brazilians 4–3 on penalties to win the U-20 World Cup. Ayew converted Ghana's first penalty in theshootout.[This paragraph needs citation(s)]
On 7 August 2007, Ayew was called up for the first time by Ghana coachClaude Le Roy for the team'sfriendly match againstSenegal on 21 August. He made his international debut in the match, appearing as a late-match substitute.[76] On 11 January 2008, Ayew was named to the Ghana squad to play in the2008 Africa Cup of Nations.[77]
Ayew made his second major international tournament appearance by appearing at the2010 Africa Cup of Nations. On 19 January 2010, in the team's final group stage match againstBurkina Faso, he scored his first international goal in 30th minute with a header. Ghana won the match 1–0 and reached the final where they were defeated 1–0 byEgypt.[78] Ayew appeared in all five matches the team contested.
On 7 May 2010, Ayew was named to coachMilovan Rajevac's 30-man preliminary squad to participate in the2010 FIFA World Cup. He was later named to the 23-man team to compete in the competition alongside his brother Ibrahim. On 12 June, Ayew made hisFIFA World Cup debut in the team's opening group stage match againstSerbia, starting ahead of the more experiencedSulley Muntari. He later started in the team's ensuing group stage matches againstAustralia andGermany. In the team's round of 16 match against theUnited States, Ayewassisted on the game-winning goal scored byAsamoah Gyan after sending alob–pass into the United Statesdefense, which Gyan collected and then converted.[79] For his performance in the match, Ayew was namedMan of the Match byFIFA.[80] Ayew missed the team'squarter-final defeat on penalties toUruguay due toyellow card accumulation. He went on to play in the2012 Africa Cup of Nations, scoring againstMali andTunisia, as the Black Stars finished in fourth place.
In February 2013, Ayew retired from international football after a dispute with the Ghana Football Association.[81] However, he returned to the team for aWorld Cup qualifier againstZambia on 6 September.[82] He then went on to start in both legs of Ghana's 7–3 aggregateplay-off defeat of Egypt to secure qualification to the2014 FIFA World Cup.[83]
On 2 June 2014, Ayew was named in Ghana's squad for the World Cup.[84] In the team's opening match, he scored an 82nd minute equalising goal against the United States in an eventual 2–1 defeat.[85] He then scored the Black Stars' first goal in a 2–2 draw with Germany in their second group match.[86]
Ayew is currently the captain of the Black Stars.[88] On 3 January 2022, Ayew was named in Ghana's 28-man final squad for the delayed2021 Africa Cup of Nations.[89] Ghana lost their first match at the tournament against Morocco, which Ayew played the full 90 minutes. He would however score a goal in Ghana's second group game, a 1–1 draw againstGabon.[90][91] In Ghana's third game Ayew was sent off during the course of an unexpected 3–2 defeat to theComoros, with Ghana finishing bottom of their group of four.[92]
Ayew helped Ghana qualify for the2022 World Cup, where they were placed inGroup H. His participation at the tournament made Ayew the only Ghanaian player to feature at the nation's last three World Cups.[93] In Ghana's first game of the group stage, Ayew scored his side's first goal of the competition, equalizing in the 73rd minute to bring the score to 1–1 during the course of an eventual 3–2 defeat againstPortugal.[94] Following a 3–2 victory overSouth Korea,[95] Ghana required a win or draw in their final group match againstUruguay to advance, and were awarded an early penalty, taken by Ayew. However, Ayew would see his attempt saved, and Uruguay went on to score twice in the first half. At half-time, Ayew and his brother Jordan were both substituted, but the scoreline finished unchanged at 2–0, to send Ghana home in fourth place in their group.[96][97]
Ayew was born inSeclin, acommune in thearrondissement ofLille, to Ghanaian parents. He holds both French and Ghanaian nationalities.[98] His maternal grandfather Alhaji A.A. Khadir,[99] is Lebanese.[100] Ayew comes from a family of footballers. His father,Abedi Pele, was a professional footballer and was playing for Lille at the time of his birth. He is the nephew ofKwame Ayew and Sola Ayew, both of whom are former international footballers. Ayew also has two brothers who are professional footballers;Ibrahim andJordan, and a sister, Imani. Jordan currently plays forLeicester City and Ibrahim currently plays forLincoln Red Imps F.C. inGibraltar.
He is a practisingMuslim.[101][102][103] Ayew married his long-term girlfriend, Yvonne, with whom he has a son.[104]
On 26 July 2019, Ayew made donations to the Ghana under-20 team, which he captained to victory 10 years earlier. This was a move that was made to encourage and motivate the team ahead of the Africa games slated for the following month in Rabat, Morocco.[105]
^Club, Nottingham Forest Football (2 February 2023)."Forest complete signing of André Ayew".Nottingham Forest Football Club.Archived from the original on 2 February 2023. Retrieved2 February 2023.
^Club, Nottingham Forest Football (2 June 2023)."Forest confirm retained list".Nottingham Forest Football Club.Archived from the original on 2 June 2023. Retrieved2 June 2023.