Why is Abedi Pele considered to be one of the pioneers of African football?
Abedi Pele is considered to be one of the pioneers of African football because he was amongst the first ones to make impact in European football, particularly in the success of French side Marseille in the Champions League in the 1990s. He also captained the Ghana national team, for which he appeared 73 times, scoring on 33 occasions.
His out-of-the-world dribbling skills and a knack for scoring mesmerising as well as important goals won him a place in the FIFA ‘All-Star’ selections throughout the last decade of the 20th Century and has also captained the African All-Stars team to a victory over the European All-Stars at S.L. Benfica’s Estadio da Luz in Lisbon in the 1997 Meridian Cup.
Early professional football career
Also known as Abedi Ayew, the former attacking midfielder started his professional career at Real Tamale United, a Ghanian club, scoring 21 goals in 46 appearances for them. Two years later, post the 1982 Africa Cup of Nations, he moved to a Saudi Arabia club Al Sadd for a transfer fee of £1000 and scored 7 goals in the 8 appearances he made for them over a season. He also won the Prince of Qatar Cup in 1983.
His next move brought him to FC Zurich, Switzerland where he made 18 appearances and scored 8 times. His career there was short-lived though as he returned to Ghana after just one season.
For the next three seasons, he played for AS Dragons I’Oueme, Real Tamale United and Mulhouse, scoring a total of 23 goals in 43 appearances for all these clubs combined.
Return to Europe and further glory
In 1987, Abedi returned to France having signed with LOSC Lille, where he appeared in 61 games and found the back of the net 16 times. Having established himself as a prominent name in the French league, Marseille soon sought his signature and that’s where he went on to establish his name on the international stage.
He made over a hundred domestic appearances for the club, scoring 25 goals. His contribution to his team’s success in France and in Europe earned him the title of African Player of the Year on three occasions, awarded by France Football Magazine. He was also awarded the BBC African Sports star of the year in 1992, which was the inaugural year of the award.
Abedi’s biggest contribution came in Marseille's historic Champions League final win over AC Milan in 1993, where he was also adjudged to be man of the match. He was also instrumental in Marseille’s domestic success in the Ligue as they won it three times (1990-91, 1991-91, 1992-93) and also appeared in another Champions League final earlier in 1991.
After Marseille, he moved to Lyon for a season and then to the Italian-side Torino, where he was named the best foreign player in Serie A. His European career concluded at 1860 Munchen with just two goals in two seasons, as many claimed his years were up.
Abedi finished his career at Al Ain, where he appeared in 31 matches and scored 28 goals in a period of two years, winning the Pro league in 1999-2000 and President’s Cup in 1999. He was also nominated as one of the best foreign players have ever played in the UAE League.
The Pioneer of African football
Abedi Pele started playing for his national side in 1982 and won the African Cup of Nations in that very year. The Ghanian is unarguably the most celebrated player in all of Africa with numerous accolades to his name.
He is the most capped player in Ghana and held the record for the most goals too until Asamoah Gyan surpassed his record in June 2013. He played in the African Cup of Nations competition for 16 years and captained his national team for six years between 1992-1998, though he was never able to participate in an FIFA World Cup as his team failed to qualify for the competition during the African legend’s career.
Although Ghana lost the 1992 African Cup final to Cote d’Ivoire, Abedi’s stellar performance in that tournament is one of the most lauded footballing performances ever. He scored three sensational goals against Zambia (his solo run goal often compared to that of Maradona’s against England in the 1986 World Cup), a goal against Congo and another one against Nigeria (back header) which sealed a spot for his country in the finals of the tournament.
He was suspended for the next match due to a booking he picked up against Nigeria in the semi-final, meaning that Ghana would go on to lose the final against eventual winners Ivory Coast.
In 1996, when most of the critics were sure of Abedi’s lack of form and imminent downfall, the attacker scored thrice in the African Cup.
National awards bestowed upon the most celebrated African footballer
- 1993 Ghana Footballer of the Year
- Order of the Volta – The Highest National Civilian Award of Ghana
- 3rd place in African Player of the Century award by the International Federation of Football History and Statistics (IFFHS).
- 2011 Golden Foot Legends Award
- FIFA All-Star forward in 1992, 1993, 1996, 1997, 1999
Footballing didn’t stop with him in his family, as his three sons – Andre, Jordan and Rahim – carried forward the torch and have represented Ghana in the 2010 FIFA World Cup and the 2014 edition.
Even at this day and age, people in Ghana recognise his contribution to the sport and Abedi ‘Ayew’ Pele still enjoys a large fan following in many African countries.