GHANA
Captain Andre Ayew has thrown his weight behind Ghana’s emerging crop of players, insisting the Black Stars will bounce back from their recent struggles to reclaim their status as an African powerhouse.
The former African champions are preparing to face Mali in their 2026 World Cup qualifier in Bamako next month as they chase their fifth appearance at the global tournament.
But the fortunes of the Black Stars have waned in recent years, with the four-time African champions failing to end their 42-year wait for continental silverware. Ghana’s last major honour came at the 1982 Africa Cup of Nations.
A new generation of talents like Mohammed Kudus, Abdul Fatawu Issahaku, Kamaldeen Sulemana and Ibrahim Osman beginning to make their mark as the Black Stars seek to recapture their past glories.
The experienced forward Ayew, who is the son of legend Abedi Pele, reflected on Ghana’s golden era while expressing confidence that the current generation can follow in the footsteps of their illustrious predecessors.
He believes Ghana’s future remains bright – provided the current crop can shoulder the burden of representing a nation with such a storied footballing pedigree.
“We dominated for several years. I was part of this team with a golden generation,” Ayew said when speaking on Canal+ on Monday night.
“Then we had the generation of (Mubarak) Wakaso, (Asamoah) Gyan and John Mensah. Now there is a new generation coming.”
While acknowledging the weight of expectation on the current squad, Ayew is optimistic that Ghana’s future remains bright, even if the transition from one generation to the next has presented its challenges.
“There is a lot of pressure. Despite this generation dominating, we still couldn’t win. So this creates more pressure and more demands, and the country expects more and more,” the Le Havre player admitted.
“Today, the players do not have the experience that the players I just mentioned have or had.”
