Ghana deputy captain Andre Ayew says only hard work like the one desmonstrated by Lionel Messi or Cristiano Ronaldo can get him legendary status in his football career after he was nominated for two top African football awards for this year.
The Swansea City midfielder is in a five-man shortlist alongside Manchester City Yaya Toure, Sadio Mane, Pierre-Emerick Aubameyeng and Yacine Brahimi for this year’s BBC African Footballer of the Year award.
The son of Ghana legend Abedi Pele has also been nominated for the CAF African Player of the Year award for his heroics this year.
The 24-year-old, who captained Ghana's U20 side to win the World Cup in 2009, has been in blistering form this year.
He was the top scorer at the African Cup of Nations in Equatorioal Guinea in February even though he is not a striker.
He continued with his goal scoring prowess at Marseille where he scored 12 goal in 14 matches by May this year before switching to Swansea City in the summer.
His five goals for the Welsh club so far has made him the club's most important player in the English Premier League and he is in no doubt as to what he must to to secure legendary status.
“I’m not surprised with my performance but just working hard to improve and the results are showing on the pitch,” Ayew said in his native Ghana.
“When you get a good beginning, people get to know you more and they start to mount tactics on you.
“So I need to even work harder because things are becoming more difficult, that is the game and that is why I have a lot of respect for the big players like Ronaldo and Messi.
“When you start and you are winning and scoring, people mark you with a different eye and if you keep doing it that means you are great.
“So to be an ambitious and a great player I have to do more so I haven’t done anything yet,” Andre added.