Andrew Muchineripi : Soccer
No footballer will be more closely followed, on and off the pitch, during the African Nations Cup in Burkina Faso this month than Abedi Ayew, the veteran Ghana midfielder popularly known as Pele.
To be named after the Brazilian who played in a World Cup final at 17 and is arguably the greatest footballer the world has seen might weigh down some players under a burden of expectation. But German-based Pele, the midfield generator who drives the four-time African champions, seems to revel in the extra responsibilities that his nickname and role carry.
He helped Ghana, known as the Black Stars, win the Nations Cup in Libya 16 years ago when he was a physically frail and virtually unknown 17-year-old who constantly appeared as a second-half substitute. That triumph remains his proudest moment in five Nations Cup tournaments and there have also been moments of torment, particularly in 1992 when a one-match suspension prevented him playing in the final.
Inspired by playmaker Pele, Ghana had swept into the decider with four wins in a row only to lose a marathon 21-goal penalty shootout against outsiders Ivory Coast.
Injury robbed Ghana of Pele in the 1996 semi-finals against hosts South Africa and Ghana crumbled to an embarrassing three- goal loss that some believed would herald the end of the “old guard”. “Burkina Faso should really be my swansong,” admits the 33-year-old star who has played in his homeland, West Africa, the Middle East, France, Italy and now 1860 Munich.
The three-time African Footballer of the Year is cautiously optimistic about the Nations Cup, saying the fact that Ghana borders the host nation should ensure massive support for a team that, on paper, is a match for any rival.
It may also help that star forward Tony Yeboah has been dropped for indiscipline because the professional rivalry between him and Pele often split the team into factions with poor results inevitably following.
Other footballing giants who may appear on the African stage for the last time include Kalusha Bwalya, a Zambian midfielder based in Mexico and another former African Footballer of the Year. When a 1993 air crash off the Gabonese coast virtually wiped out the national squad, Bwalya emerged as a father figure, guiding the players who formed a new team within three months.
Bwalya was the leading scorer at the 1996 finals with five goals. While many footballers prefer a hammer-like approach to finishing, the Zambian used a chisel, elegantly carving out his goals.
Ivory Coast forward Joel Tiehi, one of two survivors from the victorious 1992 team, must have feared his international career was over last year when he moved to a French third division club. But he bounced back by joining a newly promoted first division team and finished as joint leading scorer in the qualifying competition for Burkina Faso with Moroccan Salaheddine Bassir.
No continent encourages youth more than Africa with Cameroon fielding a 16-year-old last year in a friendly against England and the Nations Cup will undoubtedly witness the emergence of many new heroes.
Defending champions South Africa have replaced ageing stars with youth and Benni McCarthy is a skilful, unpredictable forward from Dutch club Ajax who was playing lower league football in Cape Town less than one year ago.
Midfielders Hazem Emam of Egypt and Ricardo Mannetti of Namibia and forwards Fabrice “Akwa” Maieco of Angola and Ibrahim Babayoko of Ivory Coast are others poised to blossom.
Between Pele and McCarthy lie the journeymen, footballers at the height of their careers who are national-team stalwarts and used to the intimidating cauldron that is African soccer. Egyptian Hani Ramzy, Moroccan Noureddine Naybet and Zambian Elijah Litana are commanding defenders and Algerian Moussa Saib and Tunisian Zoubeir Beya have few midfield peers.
Antonio “Paulao” Alves of Angola, Patrick Mboma of Cameroon, Aboubacar Camara of Guinea, Bassir, Manuel Bucuane of Mozambique and Bachirou Salou of Togo do what African fans love most by consistently hitting the net.
While the absence of suspended Nigeria deprives the Nations Cup of many great players, there will be more than enough present to ensure that the finals rank among the greatest in its 41-year history.