Abedi Ayew, 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.
24 Facts About Abedi Pele
2.
Abedi Pele is regarded as one of the greatest African footballers of all time.
3.
Abedi Pele 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.
Abedi Pele is widely regarded as one of the greatest players of his generation.
5.
Abedi Pele was given the nickname "Pele" due to his ability in football, which evoked comparisons to the late Brazilian athlete Pele.
6.
Abedi Pele was one of the first African players to make an impact on European club football.
7.
Abedi Pele left Ghana after the 1982 African Cup of Nations to join Al Sadd in Qatar for a $1,000 transfer fee.
8.
Abedi Pele began his career in Europe with French side Chamois Niort, subsequently joining Marseille before transferring to Lille on loan.
9.
Abedi Pele was the only remaining member of the trio still with the side when Marseille defeated Milan in the 1993 Champions League final in Munich.
10.
Abedi Pele later joined Lyon after his loan spell at Lille.
11.
Abedi Pele played for Torino of Italy and rounded out his European career with 1860 Munich.
12.
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.
13.
Abedi Pele 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.
14.
Abedi Pele 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.
15.
Abedi Pele 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.
16.
Abedi Pele holds the record for most appearances at the African Cup of Nations.
17.
Abedi Pele 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.
18.
Abedi Pele is a member of FIFA's Football Committee, and of the player status committees of both FIFA and CAF.
19.
Abedi Pele thus became the first Ghanaian sportsman to be so honoured.
20.
Abedi Pele has been involved with various charity work across the African continent.
21.
Abedi Pele was embroiled in a serious alleged Second Division Promotion Play-off bribery scandal for which the Ghana Football Association found him and others guilty.
22.
Abedi Pele usually played as an attacking midfielder or as a forward.
23.
Abedi Pele is the brother of Kwame and Sola Ayew.
24.
Abedi Pele is the father of Andre, Jordan, Rahim, Imani, and is married to Maha.