Dede Ayew
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24th December, 2011
Dede Ayew, The Most Promising Jewel Of Marseille
When the BBC first interviewed Andre Dede Ayew in 2005, the 15-year-old sketched out his simple and effortless desire to follow in his father's life-size footballing footfalls.
Gorgeously, six years later, the son of the legend Abedi Ayew Pele, has been crowned BBC African Footballer of the Year. And the Olympic Marseille retro-rocket talent is eager to ensure that he achieves even more.
It is amazing to think that history really repeated itself as Dede’s dad was the first African to clinch the BBC football prize some 20 years back. A proud achievement, it may have been for son and dad.
But another piece of history beckons the Marseille young jewel tonight at the Banquet Hall, State House, where Dede Ayew lines up against a dreadful quartet of Yaya Toure (Cote d’Ivoire, Arsenal), Gervinho, (Cote d’Ivoire, Arsenal), Samuel Eto'o (Cameroon, Anzhi Makhachkala) and Seydou Keita (Mali, Barcelona).
Last year’s winner, Eto’o, would have been the most idyllic person to seriously challenge Dede for the Holy Grail, but his failure to lead Cameroon to qualify for the continent’s biggest flagship tournament in Gabon/Equatorial Guinea, obviously proved his undoing.
Three-time winner of the European Champions League, Eto’o was Inter Milan’s most consistent performer and goal-poacher before joining the Russian club in August from for £18.4m on a three-year contract – worth a reported £25.7m a year.
But to make matters worst for Eto’o, the player was on Tuesday handed a 15-match ban by the Cameroon Football Federation (Fecafoot) for his role in a players' strike. The strike followed a row over bonuses after a tournament in Morocco in November and led to the cancellation of a friendly against Algeria.
The Cameroonian may have been the most decorated player in African history, having been named African Footballer of the Year four times and won an Olympic gold medal with Cameroon in 2000 and the Africa Cup of Nations in 2000 and 2002, but tonight is hugely not likely to be another coronation moment for him.
The next in line for staid contention is the skilful Keita, but his contribution to Barcelona’s European and world dominance, especially this year, has been petite as he has been mostly consigned to the bench.
Cote d’Ivoire’s Arsenal duo of Yahya Toure and Gervinho played a yeoman’s role in qualifying their country to next year’s Nations Cup, but they were the same faces, including Eto’o the Ghanaian youngster upstaged to win his BBC prize.
It is a cameo suggesting Dede’s consistency, stability and bravado over the years has caught the cynosure of global eyes. In October 2009, Dede was the rousing commander when Ghana's Black Satellites became the first African team to win the FIFA Under-20 World Cup.
Three months later, he dazzled for the Stars in Angola as they reached the 2010 Nations Cup final.
Later in the year, the youngster took to the field in the World Cup - starting every game until suspension ruled him out of the Uruguay clash, but doing enough in his four games to be nominated for the Best Young Player shortlist.
Today, Dede Ayew has been sparkling on a crest wave of spectacular performances for club and country – and it would simply be an icing on the cake should he follow up the BBC silverware with the CAF Best Footballer’s Golden Fleece – a diadem which over the years have been swept by Francophone countries.
It is worth to note that since 2000, only Cameroon’s Patrick Mboma (2000), Senegal’s El Hadji Diouf (2002), Didier Drogba of Cote d’Ivoire (2009) have had the rare privilege of swaggering away with both BBC and CAF titles the same year.
Dede looks like joining that famous trio tonight – and also become the youngest winner at 22 – only four years younger than his dad when he first achieved that feat. Abedi Pele is three-time winner in 1991, 1992 and 1993.
On the two occasions that the nation hosted the awards, (2007 and 2009), Ghanaians watched in utter disbelief as the plume prize evaporated into thin air – and they would pray to be third time lucky.
There are hordes of other prizes for the potentially extravagant night.
Ex–Nigerian International and former skipper of Super Eagles, Austin Jay-Jay Okocha, and former African Women Player of the Year, Perpetua Nkwocha and Super Eagles winger, Ahmed Musa of VVV Venlo of Holland have all been nominated for other categories segment of the 2011 GLO-CAF Awards.
The Confederation of African football released the list of nominees on Wednesday in Cairo. The list which was compiled through a vigorous exercise by the Confederation of African Football, took into account the performance of the nominees from January to November, 2011.
Okocha was nominated together with ex- Moroccan international, Mustapha Hadji for the Legend Award while Perpetua who distinguished herself at the last African Women Championship in South Africa was nominated for Women Footballer of the Year.
Ahmed Musa, a very resourceful Nigerian player who played for the U-20 team, Flying Eagles at the last World Cup in Colombia, and also featured for both the National U-23 side and the Super Eagles at various times was nominated for Most Promising Talent of the Year Award.
The nominees (in alphabetical order) include: National Team of the Year: (a) Botswana (b) Cote d’Ivoire (c) Libya (d) Niger (e) Tunisia (CHAN Team). Women’s National Team of the Year: (a) Cameroon (b) Nigeria (c) South Africa Club of the Year: (a) Esperance (Tunisia) (b) MAS Fes (Morocco) (c) and Wydad Athletic Club (Morocco).
Coach of the Year: (a) Harouna Doula (Niger National Team) (b) Nabil Maaloul (Esperance - Tunisia (c) Rachid Taoussi(MAS Fes- Morocco) (d) and Stanley Tshosane (Botswana National Team)l.
Most Promising Talent: (a) Ahmed Elshenawy (Elmasry- Egypt) (b) Ahmed Musa (VVV Venlo - Nigeria) (c) Souleymane Coulibaly (Tottenham Hotspurs - Cote D’Ivoire) (d) and Banana Yaya (Esperance - Cameroon).
Women’s Footballer of the Year: (a) Nompumelelo Nyandani (South Africa), (b) Miriam Paixao Silva (Equatorial Guinea), (c) and Perpetua Nkwocha (Nigeria).
Referee Award: (a) Alioum Neant (Cameroon), (b) Djamel Haimoudi (Algeria) (c) and Noumandiez Doue (Cote d’Ivoire).
A galaxy of musicians have also been lined up to glisten the night out including Ghana’s hi-life gem Kwabena Kwabena and Efya - a new sensation in Ghana music, whose latest single ‘Little Things’ is ruling the airwaves.
Singing sensation and Glo Ambassador in Benin Republic, Zeynab, as well as Gloria Bosman and Loyiso Bala, both from South Africa, will be expected to give the audience a rare treat.
Also in action is an Acrobatic Tumbling group known as Troop Agile from Kenya.
A huge night it promises to be at the Glo-Caf Awards, doubtless.
Gorgeously, six years later, the son of the legend Abedi Ayew Pele, has been crowned BBC African Footballer of the Year. And the Olympic Marseille retro-rocket talent is eager to ensure that he achieves even more.
It is amazing to think that history really repeated itself as Dede’s dad was the first African to clinch the BBC football prize some 20 years back. A proud achievement, it may have been for son and dad.
But another piece of history beckons the Marseille young jewel tonight at the Banquet Hall, State House, where Dede Ayew lines up against a dreadful quartet of Yaya Toure (Cote d’Ivoire, Arsenal), Gervinho, (Cote d’Ivoire, Arsenal), Samuel Eto'o (Cameroon, Anzhi Makhachkala) and Seydou Keita (Mali, Barcelona).
Last year’s winner, Eto’o, would have been the most idyllic person to seriously challenge Dede for the Holy Grail, but his failure to lead Cameroon to qualify for the continent’s biggest flagship tournament in Gabon/Equatorial Guinea, obviously proved his undoing.
Three-time winner of the European Champions League, Eto’o was Inter Milan’s most consistent performer and goal-poacher before joining the Russian club in August from for £18.4m on a three-year contract – worth a reported £25.7m a year.
But to make matters worst for Eto’o, the player was on Tuesday handed a 15-match ban by the Cameroon Football Federation (Fecafoot) for his role in a players' strike. The strike followed a row over bonuses after a tournament in Morocco in November and led to the cancellation of a friendly against Algeria.
The Cameroonian may have been the most decorated player in African history, having been named African Footballer of the Year four times and won an Olympic gold medal with Cameroon in 2000 and the Africa Cup of Nations in 2000 and 2002, but tonight is hugely not likely to be another coronation moment for him.
The next in line for staid contention is the skilful Keita, but his contribution to Barcelona’s European and world dominance, especially this year, has been petite as he has been mostly consigned to the bench.
Cote d’Ivoire’s Arsenal duo of Yahya Toure and Gervinho played a yeoman’s role in qualifying their country to next year’s Nations Cup, but they were the same faces, including Eto’o the Ghanaian youngster upstaged to win his BBC prize.
It is a cameo suggesting Dede’s consistency, stability and bravado over the years has caught the cynosure of global eyes. In October 2009, Dede was the rousing commander when Ghana's Black Satellites became the first African team to win the FIFA Under-20 World Cup.
Three months later, he dazzled for the Stars in Angola as they reached the 2010 Nations Cup final.
Later in the year, the youngster took to the field in the World Cup - starting every game until suspension ruled him out of the Uruguay clash, but doing enough in his four games to be nominated for the Best Young Player shortlist.
Today, Dede Ayew has been sparkling on a crest wave of spectacular performances for club and country – and it would simply be an icing on the cake should he follow up the BBC silverware with the CAF Best Footballer’s Golden Fleece – a diadem which over the years have been swept by Francophone countries.
It is worth to note that since 2000, only Cameroon’s Patrick Mboma (2000), Senegal’s El Hadji Diouf (2002), Didier Drogba of Cote d’Ivoire (2009) have had the rare privilege of swaggering away with both BBC and CAF titles the same year.
Dede looks like joining that famous trio tonight – and also become the youngest winner at 22 – only four years younger than his dad when he first achieved that feat. Abedi Pele is three-time winner in 1991, 1992 and 1993.
On the two occasions that the nation hosted the awards, (2007 and 2009), Ghanaians watched in utter disbelief as the plume prize evaporated into thin air – and they would pray to be third time lucky.
There are hordes of other prizes for the potentially extravagant night.
Ex–Nigerian International and former skipper of Super Eagles, Austin Jay-Jay Okocha, and former African Women Player of the Year, Perpetua Nkwocha and Super Eagles winger, Ahmed Musa of VVV Venlo of Holland have all been nominated for other categories segment of the 2011 GLO-CAF Awards.
The Confederation of African football released the list of nominees on Wednesday in Cairo. The list which was compiled through a vigorous exercise by the Confederation of African Football, took into account the performance of the nominees from January to November, 2011.
Okocha was nominated together with ex- Moroccan international, Mustapha Hadji for the Legend Award while Perpetua who distinguished herself at the last African Women Championship in South Africa was nominated for Women Footballer of the Year.
Ahmed Musa, a very resourceful Nigerian player who played for the U-20 team, Flying Eagles at the last World Cup in Colombia, and also featured for both the National U-23 side and the Super Eagles at various times was nominated for Most Promising Talent of the Year Award.
The nominees (in alphabetical order) include: National Team of the Year: (a) Botswana (b) Cote d’Ivoire (c) Libya (d) Niger (e) Tunisia (CHAN Team). Women’s National Team of the Year: (a) Cameroon (b) Nigeria (c) South Africa Club of the Year: (a) Esperance (Tunisia) (b) MAS Fes (Morocco) (c) and Wydad Athletic Club (Morocco).
Coach of the Year: (a) Harouna Doula (Niger National Team) (b) Nabil Maaloul (Esperance - Tunisia (c) Rachid Taoussi(MAS Fes- Morocco) (d) and Stanley Tshosane (Botswana National Team)l.
Most Promising Talent: (a) Ahmed Elshenawy (Elmasry- Egypt) (b) Ahmed Musa (VVV Venlo - Nigeria) (c) Souleymane Coulibaly (Tottenham Hotspurs - Cote D’Ivoire) (d) and Banana Yaya (Esperance - Cameroon).
Women’s Footballer of the Year: (a) Nompumelelo Nyandani (South Africa), (b) Miriam Paixao Silva (Equatorial Guinea), (c) and Perpetua Nkwocha (Nigeria).
Referee Award: (a) Alioum Neant (Cameroon), (b) Djamel Haimoudi (Algeria) (c) and Noumandiez Doue (Cote d’Ivoire).
A galaxy of musicians have also been lined up to glisten the night out including Ghana’s hi-life gem Kwabena Kwabena and Efya - a new sensation in Ghana music, whose latest single ‘Little Things’ is ruling the airwaves.
Singing sensation and Glo Ambassador in Benin Republic, Zeynab, as well as Gloria Bosman and Loyiso Bala, both from South Africa, will be expected to give the audience a rare treat.
Also in action is an Acrobatic Tumbling group known as Troop Agile from Kenya.
A huge night it promises to be at the Glo-Caf Awards, doubtless.
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