Image by Getty Images via @daylifeWhen the Black Stars' camp was rocked by a spate of injuries on the eve of the CAF Africa Cup of Nations 2010, coach Milovan Rajevac turned to a group of untested youngsters to shoulder the burden. He not only promoted the spine of the team that won the FIFA U-20 World Cup Egypt 2009, but he also handed them free reign to roam and a responsibility to bring pride to Ghana. Ayew did just that.
The left-winger nevertheless went into the 2010 FIFA World Cup South Africa™ known largely for being the son of Abedi Pele, the three-time African Footballer of the Year. He emerged from it as a global star in his own right, however, thanks to some exhilarating performances. FIFA.com caught up with the 20-year-old to discuss South Africa 2010, the new-found pressure on his shoulders, and his desire to win the UEFA Champions League, the Cup of Nations and the FIFA World Cup.
FIFA.com: Andre, the road to the Africa Cup of Nations 2012 begins this weekend against Swaziland. What are your thoughts?
Andre Ayew: Obviously it’s going to be a tough road to the qualifiers and I’m not just saying that because it’s a usual thing to say. It’s going to be tough because a lot of teams will now be targeting us. If you look at some of the teams we have to play, they are not easy opponents even for so-called small countries. In football, anything can happen that is why it’s important for us to step up and work hard. First we have to play Swaziland and we don’t know much about them. They are a closed book to us, but I’m sure they have watched us a lot of times. Then we have countries like Congo, Sudan – not easy opponents, especially away from home.
Suddenly, you have become one of the most recognisable faces in this team. Do you feel added pressure now?
Pressure is part of football. It’s always there. I would be lying if I said I don’t feel pressure, but it’s good pressure. I’m still young and I want to enjoy my football. I think after the World Cup in South Africa, people expect a lot from us, which is natural after the kind of performance we had.
There was a lot of speculation about your future at club level. Have you settled now, and what are your personal goals?
I'm at Marseille and happy there. At club level, I have always said that I want to win the Champions League - it’s one of those accolades that any player would like to add to his CV. We have good players at Marseille with a lot of experience. We are a very confident bunch and we know that we can do it. We have to win the league first and do it time and again. Of course teams like Bordeaux and Lyon also have good players and all the teams are good enough to win the league.
At national team level, my mission is twofold: we first have to win the Africa Cup of Nations, which we came very close to doing in Angola when we lost to Egypt. That was a disappointing moment for us, but now we have to focus on 2012. Of course our biggest dream would be to win the World Cup.
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