_(cropped).jpg) Ayew withLeicester City in 2024 | |||||||||||||||||
| Personal information | |||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | Jordan Pierre Ayew[1] | ||||||||||||||||
| Date of birth | (1991-09-11)11 September 1991 (age 33)[2] | ||||||||||||||||
| Place of birth | Marseille, France | ||||||||||||||||
| Height | 1.82 m (6 ft 0 in)[3] | ||||||||||||||||
| Position(s) | Winger,Forward | ||||||||||||||||
| Team information | |||||||||||||||||
Current team | Leicester City | ||||||||||||||||
| Number | 18 | ||||||||||||||||
| Youth career | |||||||||||||||||
| 2000–2006 | Lyon Duchère | ||||||||||||||||
| 2006–2009 | Marseille | ||||||||||||||||
| Senior career* | |||||||||||||||||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) | ||||||||||||||
| 2009–2014 | Marseille | 111 | (14) | ||||||||||||||
| 2014 | →Sochaux (loan) | 17 | (5) | ||||||||||||||
| 2014–2015 | Lorient | 31 | (12) | ||||||||||||||
| 2015–2017 | Aston Villa | 51 | (9) | ||||||||||||||
| 2017–2019 | Swansea City | 50 | (8) | ||||||||||||||
| 2018–2019 | →Crystal Palace (loan) | 20 | (1) | ||||||||||||||
| 2019–2024 | Crystal Palace | 175 | (21) | ||||||||||||||
| 2024– | Leicester City | 24 | (4) | ||||||||||||||
| International career‡ | |||||||||||||||||
| 2010 | Ghana U20 | 1 | (1) | ||||||||||||||
| 2010– | Ghana | 110 | (30) | ||||||||||||||
Medal record
| |||||||||||||||||
| *Club domestic league appearances and goals, correct as of 23:40, 16 March 2025 (UTC) ‡ National team caps and goals, correct as of 22:00, 21 March 2025 (UTC) | |||||||||||||||||
Jordan Pierre Ayew (born 11 September 1991) is a Ghanaian professionalfootballer who plays as awinger orforward forPremier League clubLeicester City and theGhana national team.
The son of former Ghana national football captainAbedi Pele, and the brother of fellow playersAndré andIbrahim Ayew, Ayew began his professional career withMarseille, scoring on his senior debut in 2009. After short spells with fellowLigue 1 clubsSochaux andLorient, he was signed by English sideAston Villa in 2015, finishing his only full season as the team's top scorer as they were relegated from the Premier League; this feat was subsequently repeated withSwansea City in 2018. Following Swansea's relegation, Ayew was signed byCrystal Palace, going on to make over 200 appearances for the club.
Born inFrance, Ayew made his senior debut forGhana in 2010 and has since earned over 100 caps for his country. He has played for the national team in twoFIFA World Cups (2014 and2022), as well as sixAfrica Cup of Nations (2012,2015,2017,2019,2021 and2023), helping them finish runners-up in 2015.[4]
Ayew joinedMarseille as a trainee in 2006. He signed a three-year professionalcontract with Marseille in 2009. Jordan Ayew made his debut for the senior team on 16 December 2009 in aleague match, scoring the equaliser againstLorient.Marseille went on to win the match 2–1.[5]Ayew scored his second goal againstNice at theStade Vélodrome on 27 April 2011 in a match which saw his elder brotherAndré Ayew score ahat-trick. On 1 November 2011, Jordan and André both started aUEFA Champions League match for the first time against Premier League giantsArsenal.
On 6 January 2014, he joined Ligue 1 rivalsSochaux on a loan deal until the end of the2013–14 season.[6]
On 28 July 2014, Ayew signed a four-year contract withLorient.[7] Ayew explained the style and quality of play that Lorient proposed was the reason behind the decision.
On 27 July 2015, Ayew joinedAston Villa on a five-year deal for an undisclosed fee, reported to be in the region of £8 million.[8][9] He scored his first goal for the club on 24 October 2015 against his elder brother's club, Swansea City, in the 62nd minute.[10] Aston Villa were relegated at the end of the 2015–16 season, winning only 17 points, but Ayew did end the season as their top scorer, albeit with just seven goals.
On 31 January 2017, Jordan Ayew joinedSwansea City until the end of the 2019–20 season in exchange for Welsh International defenderNeil Taylor, plus a fee from Swansea that can rise to £5 million if undisclosed future conditions are met.[11] Jordan's elder brother was a Swansea City player during the2015–16 season and later joined him in the winter transfer window of 2018.[12] On 12 February 2017, he made his debut in a 2–0 victory over Leicester City after coming on in the 72nd minute forFernando Llorente.[13][14] In the final match of the season, Ayew scored his debut goal for Swansea by scoring the first goal, an equalizer which led to a their 2–1 comeback victory overWest Bromwich Albion.[15][16] He played a key role in helping them survive the league and avoid relegation by playing 14 matches, starting nine of those, scoring a goal and assisting three goals.[17]
On 22 August 2017, Ayew put up a man of the match performance by scoring a 20-yard strike goal and assisting another for Tammy Abraham's debut goal in Swansea's EFL Cup match against MK Dons.[18][19] His goal 20-yard effort was described by news outlet BBC as a tremendous strike.[19] Ayew scored his first goal in the 2017–18 season, on 26 August 2017, to help The Swans to a 2–0 victory over his future club Crystal Palace.[20] On 17 January 2018, he scored the opening goal in the Swans' 2–1 FA Cup replay match against Wolverhampton Wanderers.[21]
At the end of his second season, his only full season with the club, he played 44 matches in all competition and scored 11 goals with 7 coming in the league. He finished the season as the club's top goal scorer and was voted the Players' Player of the season.[22] His solo goal againstWolverhampton Wanderers scored on 17 January 2018 in the FA Cup won the club's goal of the season award.[23] Despite his performance over the season, Swansea was relegated to the championship. This made it the fourth time he had ended as a club's top goal scorer but the club still getting relegated at the end of the season.[24][deprecated source]
On transfer deadline day in August 2018, Ayew joinedCrystal Palace on loan for the2018–19 season.[25] He made his debut on 1 September 2018, starting in Palace's 2–0 loss to Southampton. On 15 September, he put on an impressive performance against Huddersfield, providing the assist toWilfried Zaha's goal to earn Palace a 1–0 victory.[26] He was praised for his pressing, hold up play which helped in bringing others into play and allowing the other attackers the opportunity to create chances.[26]
On 2 January 2019, he scored his first league goal for Palace by scoring the opening goal in their 2–0 victory over Wolverhampton Wanderers.[27] Three days after, Ayew came on in the 68th minute forJairo Riedewald to score a late winner (in the 86th minute) againstGrimsby Town in the FA Cup.[28]
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On 25 July 2019, Ayew made the move permanent with a £2.5m transfer from Swansea City on a three-year deal.[29] Ayew scored his first goal of the season on 24 August 2019 againstManchester United atOld Trafford, netting the opener in the first half against the run of play, latching on toJeffrey Schlupp's flick-on as Crystal Palace secured an historic 2–1 victory.[30]
On Boxing Day 2019, Ayew scored the match winner in stoppage time as Crystal Palace came from behind to defeatWest Ham United 2–1.[31] It was Ayew's 21st goal in the Premier League with 20 having been scored in the second half (95%) - the highest such ratio of any player with 20+ goals in the competition's history.[32] On 20 June 2020, he scored to assist the Eagles defeat Bournemouth 2–0, making him the highest-scoring Ghanaian in Premier League history with 25 goals. He surpassedTony Yeboah who scored 24 goals while playing forLeeds United.[33][34]
At the end of the season, Ayew was the highest goalscorer for Crystal Palace with 9 goals, and won theCrystal Palace Player of the season, Players' Player of the season and Goal of the season awards.[35][36]
In the 2020–21 season, Ayew scored his only goal in the season in a 4–1 victory over Leeds United.[37] He subsequently went 43 games without a goal before scoring a 65th-minute equalizer to secure a 2–2 Premier League draw for Crystal Palace against Southampton on 16 December 2021.[38] On 4 April 2022, he scored the second goal in a 3–0 home victory over Arsenal atSelhurst Park.[39][40] At the end of the2021–22 season, he was played 31 league matches, scored 3 goals and made 3 assists.[41]
In June 2022, he signed a contract extension keeping him at the club until 2023.[42] Ayew scored his first goal of the 2022–23 season and his first goal after his contract extension on New Year's Eve, ending his goal drought failing to score from 13 starts in 15 matches. He scored the opening goal to help Crystal Palace to 2–0 victory over Bournemouth.[43][44] On 9 April 2023, he scored a brace inspiring Crystal Palace to an emphatic 5–1 away victory against Leeds United.[45] At the end of the2022–23 season, Ayew played in all 38 league matches scoring four goals and providing three assists.[46]
On 1 November 2023, Ayew signed a contract extension until 2025.[47] On 27 February 2024, he made his 200th Crystal Palace appearance in all competitions, marking the milestone with a player of the match-winning performance including scoring one goal and assisting another in a 3–0 victory over Burnley.[48] Days after that, he was adjudged the Crystal Palace men's Player of the Month for February.[49]
On 23 August 2024, Leicester City signed Ayew on a two year contract worth £5 million.[50] He made his debut for the club on 24 August in a 2–1 defeat toFulham, coming on forBobby De Cordova-Reid.[51] He scored his first goal for the club in a 4–0 win againstTranmere Rovers in theEFL Cup.[52] On 19 October, he tallied his first league goal for the club when he scored a stoppage time winner againstSouthampton.[53]
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Ayew made his first seniorappearance forGhana on 5 September 2010, in a 3–02012 AFCON Qualification match win against Swaziland, at theSomhlolo National Stadium inLobamba, Swaziland.[54][55] On 1 June 2012, Ayew scored his first and second internationalgoals in a2014 World Cup qualification match win againstLesotho, at theKumasi Sports Stadium inKumasi, Ghana.[56] In December 2011, Ayew was named to the Ghana national team provisional 25-man squad for the2012 Africa Cup of Nations,[57] and in January 2012 he was selected for the tournament's 23-man squad.[58]
In June 2014, he was included in the Ghanaian squad for the2014 World Cup. In Ghana's last warm-up match before the2014 FIFA World Cup in Brazil on 9 June 2014, Ayew came on as a first-half substitute for the injuredMajeed Waris and ended up scoring a hat-trick in a 4–0 victory overSouth Korea.[59][60]
Jordan Ayew was part of theGhanaian team in2015 Africa Cup of Nations which took place inEquatorial Guinea that took a silver medal as result of losing out toIvory Coast on apenalty shoot-out whom they clinch theAfrican Cup, which occurred on 8 February 2015.
He was part of the Ghanaian team in the2021 Africa Cup of Nations that was eliminated at the group stage of the competition.[61][62] In January 2024, he was named in the 27-man squad for the2023 Africa Cup of Nations in Ivory Coast.[63] He scored two penalties in his 100th international cap, which ended in a 2–2 draw againstMozambique in the last group stage match of the African competition.[64]
Ayew scored a penalty in a friendly match against Nigeria in which Ghana lost 2–1 on 22 March 2024.[65]
He featured and scored in the 2026 World Cup Qualifiers match on 6 June 2024 in which Ghana beat Mali 2-1,[66] he also scored ahat-trick when the Black Stars beat theCentral African Republic on 10 June 2024 at theBaba Yara Stadium in Kumasi.[67][68]
In November 2024, BlackStars coach OttoAddo name Jordan Ayew captain of the team ahead of crucial Afcon 2025 qualification matches.[69]
Ayew is the son of Maha Ayew andAbedi Pele. His maternal grandfather, Alhaji A.A. Khadir,[70] isLebanese.[71] His father, unclesKwame and Sola, and brothersAndré andIbrahim are all current or former professional footballers as well as a sister, Imani. Ayew is a practicingMuslim.[72] He has never been married but shares two children with Denise Acquah and another older son from a previous relationship.
In addition to his Ghanaian nationality, he holds French nationality.[73]
| Club | Season | League | National cup[a] | League cup[b] | Europe | Other | Total | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Division | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | ||
| Marseille | 2009–10 | Ligue 1 | 4 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | – | 4 | 1 | |
| 2010–11 | Ligue 1 | 22 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 3[c] | 0 | 0 | 0 | 29 | 2 | |
| 2011–12 | Ligue 1 | 34 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 1 | 1 | 6[c] | 0 | 1[d] | 0 | 45 | 7 | |
| 2012–13 | Ligue 1 | 35 | 7 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 9[e] | 3 | — | 47 | 10 | ||
| 2013–14 | Ligue 1 | 16 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 5[c] | 1 | — | 22 | 2 | ||
| Total | 111 | 14 | 6 | 3 | 6 | 1 | 23 | 4 | 1 | 0 | 147 | 22 | ||
| Sochaux (loan) | 2013–14 | Ligue 1 | 17 | 5 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | — | 18 | 5 | ||
| Lorient | 2014–15 | Ligue 1 | 31 | 12 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | — | — | 32 | 13 | ||
| Aston Villa | 2015–16 | Premier League | 30 | 7 | 3 | 0 | 3 | 0 | — | — | 36 | 7 | ||
| 2016–17 | Championship | 21 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | — | — | 22 | 3 | |||
| Total | 51 | 9 | 3 | 0 | 4 | 1 | — | — | 58 | 10 | ||||
| Swansea City | 2016–17 | Premier League | 14 | 1 | — | — | — | — | 14 | 1 | ||||
| 2017–18 | Premier League | 36 | 7 | 5 | 2 | 3 | 2 | — | — | 44 | 11 | |||
| Total | 50 | 8 | 5 | 2 | 3 | 2 | — | — | 58 | 12 | ||||
| Crystal Palace (loan) | 2018–19 | Premier League | 20 | 1 | 3 | 1 | 2 | 0 | — | — | 25 | 2 | ||
| Crystal Palace | 2019–20 | Premier League | 37 | 9 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | — | — | 39 | 9 | ||
| 2020–21 | Premier League | 33 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | — | — | 35 | 1 | |||
| 2021–22 | Premier League | 31 | 3 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 0 | — | — | 34 | 3 | |||
| 2022–23 | Premier League | 38 | 4 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 0 | — | — | 41 | 4 | |||
| 2023–24 | Premier League | 35 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | — | — | 37 | 4 | |||
| 2024–25 | Premier League | 1 | 0 | — | — | — | — | 1 | 0 | |||||
| Total | 175 | 21 | 8 | 1 | 9 | 0 | — | — | 187 | 21 | ||||
| Leicester City | 2024–25 | Premier League | 24 | 4 | 2 | 0 | 3 | 1 | — | — | 29 | 5 | ||
| Career total | 479 | 75 | 25 | 6 | 26 | 6 | 23 | 4 | 1 | 0 | 554 | 90 | ||
| National team | Year | Apps | Goals |
|---|---|---|---|
| Ghana | 2010 | 2 | 0 |
| 2011 | 1 | 0 | |
| 2012 | 7 | 2 | |
| 2013 | 0 | 0 | |
| 2014 | 11 | 3 | |
| 2015 | 14 | 5 | |
| 2016 | 7 | 1 | |
| 2017 | 8 | 1 | |
| 2018 | 1 | 2 | |
| 2019 | 10 | 3 | |
| 2020 | 4 | 0 | |
| 2021 | 8 | 1 | |
| 2022 | 14 | 1 | |
| 2023 | 9 | 1 | |
| 2024 | 13 | 9 | |
| 2025 | 1 | 1 | |
| Total | 110 | 30 | |
| No. | Date | Venue | Opponent | Score | Result | Competition |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | 1 June 2012 | Baba Yara Stadium, Kumasi, Ghana |  Lesotho | 3–0 | 7–0 | 2014 FIFA World Cup qualification |
| 2. | 6–0 | |||||
| 3. | 9 June 2014 | Sun Life Stadium, Miami Gardens, United States |  South Korea | 1–0 | 4–0 | Friendly |
| 4. | 3–0 | |||||
| 5. | 4–0 | |||||
| 6. | 5 February 2015 | Estadio de Malabo, Malabo, Equatorial Guinea |  Equatorial Guinea | 1–0 | 3–0 | 2015 Africa Cup of Nations |
| 7. | 14 June 2015 | Accra Sports Stadium, Accra, Ghana |  Mauritius | 2–0 | 7–1 | 2017 Africa Cup of Nations qualification |
| 8. | 5–1 | |||||
| 9. | 1 September 2015 | Stade Municipal de Kintélé, Brazzaville, Congo |  Congo | 3–2 | 3–2 | Friendly |
| 10. | 17 November 2015 | Baba Yara Stadium, Kumasi, Ghana |  Comoros | 2–0 | 2–0 | 2018 FIFA World Cup qualification |
| 11. | 24 March 2016 | Accra Sports Stadium, Accra, Ghana |  Mozambique | 3–0 | 3–1 | 2017 Africa Cup of Nations qualification |
| 12. | 29 January 2017 | Stade d'Oyem, Oyem, Gabon |  DR Congo | 1–0 | 2–1 | 2017 Africa Cup of Nations |
| 13. | 18 November 2018 | Addis Ababa Stadium, Addis Ababa, Ethiopia |  Ethiopia | 1–0 | 2–0 | 2019 Africa Cup of Nations qualification |
| 14. | 2–0 | |||||
| 15. | 25 June 2019 | Ismailia Stadium, Ismailia, Egypt |  Benin | 2–1 | 2–2 | 2019 Africa Cup of Nations |
| 16. | 2 July 2019 | Suez Stadium, Suez, Egypt |  Guinea-Bissau | 1–0 | 2–0 | |
| 17. | 18 November 2019 | Estádio Nacional 12 de Julho, São Tomé, São Tomé and Príncipe |  São Tomé and Príncipe | 1–0 | 1–0 | 2021 Africa Cup of Nations qualification |
| 18. | 28 March 2021 | Cape Coast Sports Stadium, Cape Coast, Ghana | São Tomé and Príncipe | 2–0 | 3–1 | |
| 19. | 10 June 2022 | Noevir Stadium Kobe, Kobe, Japan |  Japan | 1–1 | 1–4 | 2022 Kirin Cup |
| 20. | 20 September 2023 | Accra Sports Stadium, Accra, Ghana |  Liberia | 3–0 | 3–1 | Friendly |
| 21. | 22 January 2024 | Alassane Ouattara Stadium, Abidjan, Ivory Coast | Mozambique | 1–0 | 2–2 | 2023 Africa Cup of Nations |
| 22. | 2–0 | |||||
| 23. | 22 March 2024 | Stade de Marrakech, Marrakech, Morocco |  Nigeria | 1–2 | 1–2 | Friendly |
| 24. | 26 March 2024 | Stade de Marrakech, Marrakech, Morocco |  Uganda | 2–1 | 2–2 | |
| 25. | 6 June 2024 | Stade du 26 Mars, Bamako, Mali |  Mali | 2–1 | 2–1 | 2026 FIFA World Cup qualification |
| 26. | 10 June 2024 | Baba Yara Stadium, Kumasi, Ghana |  Central African Republic | 1–0 | 4–3 | |
| 27. | 2–2 | |||||
| 28. | 3–2 | |||||
| 29. | 15 November 2024 | Estádio 11 de Novembro, Talatona, Angola |  Angola | 1–0 | 1–1 | 2025 Africa Cup of Nations qualification |
| 30. | 21 March 2025 | Accra Sports Stadium, Accra, Ghana |  Chad | 3–0 | 5–0 | 2026 FIFA World Cup qualification |
Marseille
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