 | Theneutrality of this article isdisputed. Relevant discussion may be found on thetalk page. Please do not remove this message untilconditions to do so are met.(December 2018) (Learn how and when to remove this message) |
 Abedi in 2007 | ||||||||||||||||||||
| Personal information | ||||||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | Abedi Ayew | |||||||||||||||||||
| Date of birth | (1964-11-05)5 November 1964 (age 60) | |||||||||||||||||||
| Place of birth | Accra, Ghana | |||||||||||||||||||
| Height | 1.74 m (5 ft 9 in)[1] | |||||||||||||||||||
| Position(s) | Attacking midfielder | |||||||||||||||||||
| Youth career | ||||||||||||||||||||
| 1970–1978 | Great Falcons | |||||||||||||||||||
| Senior career* | ||||||||||||||||||||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) | |||||||||||||||||
| 1980–1982 | Real Tamale United | 46 | (21) | |||||||||||||||||
| 1982–1983 | Al Sadd | 8 | (7) | |||||||||||||||||
| 1983–1984 | Zürich | 18 | (9) | |||||||||||||||||
| 1984 | Dragons l'Ouémé | 8 | (11) | |||||||||||||||||
| 1985 | Real Tamale United | 19 | (7) | |||||||||||||||||
| 1986–1987 | Niort | 32 | (14) | |||||||||||||||||
| 1987 | Mulhouse | 16 | (5) | |||||||||||||||||
| 1987–1993 | Marseille | 112 | (23) | |||||||||||||||||
| 1988–1990 | →Lille (loan) | 61 | (16) | |||||||||||||||||
| 1993–1994 | Lyon | 29 | (3) | |||||||||||||||||
| 1994–1996 | Torino | 49 | (11) | |||||||||||||||||
| 1996–1998 | 1860 Munich | 50 | (2) | |||||||||||||||||
| 1998–2000 | Al Ain | 31 | (28) | |||||||||||||||||
| Total | 479 | (159) | ||||||||||||||||||
| International career | ||||||||||||||||||||
| 1982–1998 | Ghana | 73 | (19) | |||||||||||||||||
| Managerial career | ||||||||||||||||||||
| 2004– | Nania (Head Coach and President) | |||||||||||||||||||
Medal record
| ||||||||||||||||||||
| *Club domestic league appearances and goals | ||||||||||||||||||||
Abedi Ayew (/əˈbeɪdiəˈjuː/ə-BAY-dee ə-YOO; born 5 November 1964), known professionally asAbedi Pele, is a Ghanaian former professionalfootballer who played as anattacking midfielder and served ascaptain of theGhana 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 FrenchLigue 1 withLille andMarseille. At the latter, he won theUEFA Champions League in1993, among other titles.[4] He was also the first to win the CAF award in 1992.
Abedi Ayew was born into a family in the town ofKibi and grew up in the town ofDome at the northern outskirts of the cityAccra.[5]
He attendedGhana Senior High School in Tamale. He was given the nickname "Pelé" due to his ability in football, which evoked comparisons to the late Brazilian athletePelé.[6][7]
Abedi Pele was one of the first African players to make an impact on European club football. His nomadic career began withReal Tamale United in Ghana in 1978.[6] He left Ghana after the 1982African Cup of Nations to joinAl Sadd in Qatar for a $1,000 transfer fee.[8] After a short spell withFC Zürich, he returned to Ghana but, after bothKotoko andHearts of Oak failed to sign him, joinedAS Dragons FC de l'Ouémé in Benin. He would later return to Ghana and play forReal Tamale United for one season. He began his career in Europe with French sideChamois Niort, subsequently joiningMarseille before transferring toLille 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 withJean-Pierre Papin andChris Waddle, spearheading perhaps Europe's strongest league side of the early 1990s, including aEuropean Cup final defeat in 1991. Abedi Pele was the only remaining member of the trio still with the side when Marseille defeated Milan in the 1993 Champions League final inMunich.
He later joinedLyon after his loan spell at Lille. He also played forTorino of Italy and rounded out his European career with1860 Munich.[9]
Abedi Pele signed a two-year contract withAl Ain in the United Arab Emirates and was nominated one of the best foreign players to play in the UAE league.
Abedi Pele played forGhana 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 the1982 African Cup of Nations, but he never had an opportunity to play in theFIFA World Cup, as theBlack Stars failed to qualify for the competition during his career. However, he was arguably the most dominant figure on theAfrican football scene for nearly a decade. His performance in the1992 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 againstNigeria that meant he was suspended for the final; Ghana went on to lose on penalties to theIvory Coast. The performance earned him the added nickname of "The AfricanMaradona".
Abedi Pele was one of the first African football players to earn a top placing inFIFA World Player of the Year voting, doing so in 1991 and 1992. He won theFrance 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 correspondingConfederation of African Football award twice.
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 inthe 1998 edition in Burkina Faso. Aside from his exploits at the 1992 competition, he 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.
.jpg)
Abedi Pele has participated in moreFIFA organized charity matches than any other African player.[citation needed] He is a member of FIFA's Football Committee, and of the player status committees of both FIFA and CAF. The South African FA made him a apokesperson for their 2006 World Cup bid.
In appreciation of Abedi Pele's service to the country, the Ghanaian government gave him the country's highest honour, theOrder of the Volta (civil division). He was the first Ghanaian sportsman to be so honoured.
On 29 January 1997, the first UEFA–CAF Meridian Cup All-Star Match betweenEurope and Africa was played inBenfica'sEstádio da Luz inLisbon 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, afterVincent Guérin had equalised for Europe just before half-time, it was the1998 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]
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.[clarification needed]
At present he owns a first division club, calledNania, with the future hopes of nurturing the young talent to augment the fledgling league of the country. He has also been involved with charity work across the African continent.
Abedi Pele was embroiled in a serious alleged Second Division Promotion Play-off bribery scandal[12] for which theGhana 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[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 respectedOkwawu United side. A similarly farcical 28–0 result[15] was recorded in another second division match played betweenGreat Mariners andTudu 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 Pele had been chastised by some members of theGhanaian 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]
As aplaymaker, Abedi Pele was known for his speed, close control, anddribbling skills, as well as his passing and goalscoring ability. He usually played as anattacking midfielder or as aforward. He was also given the nicknames the "Maestro" and "The AfricanMaradona."[2][3][19][20][21]
Abedi Pele is the brother ofKwame and Sola Ayew (ex-Hearts of Oak andBlack Meteors). He is also the father ofAndré,Jordan,Rahim, Imani, and is married to Maha. His sons,Ibrahim,André andJordan, 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 the2014 FIFA World Cup inBrazil and the2022 FIFA World Cup inQatar.[22]
 | This section mayrequirecleanup to meet Wikipedia'squality standards. The specific problem is:Table is in improper format. Please helpimprove this section if you can.(July 2021) (Learn how and when to remove this message) |
| 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 | ||
| 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 | |
| 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 | 2-3 | ||||||
| 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] |
Marseille
Al Ain[37]
Ghana
Individual
Orders
_-_ribbon_bar.png)
Nania
Abedi Ayew Pelé was born and bred in a small village called Oko near Dome on 5 November 1964
Media from Commons
Quotations from Wikiquote
Data from WikidataGhana squads | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| International | |
|---|---|
| National | |
