Just 17, André Ayew, the son of Abedi Pelé, began his professional football career with OM on June 25.
At the end of last season, a 17-yo youngster signed his first professional contract (3 years) with Olympique de Marseille after 3 years at the Youth Academy. His name: André Ayew. Sound familiar? He is the son of Abedi Ayew Pelé who set the French championship alight with OM in the early 90s.This contract is for him “the culmination of 3 years of work, training and matches”. A popular player, he keeps his feet on the ground. “signing a professional contract at OM at 17 is huge. But it’s just the beginning, and I have to keep moving forward.”
Just as he has done ever since he signed with the Youth Academy at 14, André Ayew manages not to put pressure on himself in his first professional season. “If you think about everything your dad has done, it’s tougher, but if you play your own game it’s no problem. I’m a player like any other. I don’t get any special treatment.”
So, slowly but surely, André Ayew is staking his claim in the OM locker room, starting with the training camp at Capbreton, where he was keen to prove that he is his own man and not just his father’s son. “The training camp went well. The players took me under their wings, gave me advice. I learned a lot. I get along well with Daouda M’Bow, we hang out but we get along well with everyone else.”
Albert Emon has quickly put his faith in the youngster, playing him in the pre-season practice matches. “Against Montpellier, I felt good because I had just played the entire match against Bordeaux. It was my second match and we managed to come back at the end. I’m here to prove I learned a lot at the Academy. I bring my game, I make things happen, I do everything to attack.”
After the match, the OM manager seemed satisfied. “He surprises me, but not only against Montpellier, when he was a bit tired. He surprised me against Bordeaux as well. He gave Chalmé the run-around, and he’s a very solid L1 player.”
These words ended up reaching André Ayew: “It’s good to know my work is appreciated, but it’s still the beginning. I hope there will still be compliments at the end of the season. Bit there remarks are helpful, they make me work harder and give me confidence. It also shows that the manager can see my game developing.”
About 3 weeks away from the new season kicking off, André Ayew has set some very concrete goals: “I’m here to learn, to listen to the older players. My ambition is to be in the pro squad so I can learn from such big players. Anything after that would be a bonus.”. Could we see young André Ayew in the Champions League? “That would be amazing but I’m just 17 and there are a lot of player in the squad.”
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