Mr.500: Andre Ayew's long club walk

What's next for the former Ghana captain?

When Andre Ayew walked into La Commanderie, the training ground and academy base of French football club Olympique de Marseille, as a 13-year-old, he had no illusions about the weight of expectation placed on him. He was the son of a generational talent who held near mythical status at the club. For watchers, he was destined to continue his father, Abedi Pele’s legacy, and keep Olympique Marseille’s place atop French football. Failure was not an option.

“I’ve lived with that my whole life. I saw everything he stood for. He is someone all of Africa and the world respects.”

Andre Ayew will turn 36 in December and can happily say he has earned his respect. After all, not many in his profession reach 500 professional football games. Longevity is a blessing most footballers desire but rarely get. Such is the nature of the sport. Injury, loss of motivation and whatever other factor you can think of can shorten a career, no matter how glorious. It takes a fine mix of sensible decisions, a disciplined lifestyle, and a bit of luck to reach that point. It is a mix that not many Ghanaian footballers have been able to achieve. Not even his fabled father.

About a decade ago I wrote an article titled “The Ayew Method” for Allsports. In it, I described a deliberation in decision making that took nothing for granted when it came to football. Club choices, salary, coach, and international availability. At the time, it was quite the thing because not many Ghanaian footballers took that approach to their careers. Many were happy to chase the next buck, and that was it.

As I sit behind my laptop and reflect on Andre’s journey to 500 games, I realise that there is still a method that a new generation of young Ghanaian players can learn from.

A few years ago, I tried to book an interview with Andre during one of his breaks through his publicist. It took a while, but I eventually received permission for a sit-down. What captured my attention that day was his weekly timetable for his break. It was a near Spartan regimen of rest, training and nutrition. I left with a newfound respect. Others have come to recognsise this too. When he joined French Ligue 1 side Le Havre, the BBC asked him .

"There's a lot of sacrifices made to continue staying at the top level for all this while."

"As you're growing older, you need to train more. It's even harder to stop yourself from eating certain foods," he said.

"We Africans, especially, like to eat good food. But at some point, you have to make a lot of sacrifices."

It is easy to take this for granted. This is a generation of social media-loving young footballers who are rich, frolic with the elite of society at clubs and parties, and barely care about what goes into their bodies. There is barely any care in the world for relevance in the game. There is a daredevil gene they all seem to carry. It is what makes them so much fun to watch when their game is on. But it is also what makes them crash early. I struggle to see any of this talented generation make it to 500 games.

This starts to read like an ode to Andre, and though not deliberate, I also make no apologies. I respect the sacrifices he has made to stay relevant to his chosen craft. He does not need to go on, but he does. And no, this is not about his polarising time as Ghana’s national team captain. It is easy to get that confused with his club career.

Ligue 1 – 227

Ligue 2 – 25

Premier League – 102

English Championship – 87 (excluding play-offs)

Turkish Super Lig – 29

Qatar Super League – 30

The numbers above are proof of what a dedicated 17-year career looks like. Each stat line represents a memory that he has created and shared with us. It has been filled with highlights and lowlights. Some have exceeded expectations, and others have underwhelmed. Such is the game, and he, above all, understands that as he told journalist Smail Bouabdellah on his Kampo podcast.

“I am very proud of my career. My only regret is not winning a French league title with Marseille.”

It is well-earned pride in my estimation. When he decides to walk away, and it will be soon, he can do so knowing he left it all on the pitch and made a mark that not many in his craft were able to reach.

So, to Ghana’s own Mr.500 . Thank you.