Abedi Pele has raised the bar so high for us- Crystal Palace ace Jordan Ayew

Published on: 17 September 2020

Crystal Palace superstar Jordan Ayew has disclosed there is always pressure to reach the heights chalked by his father Abedi Pele. 

The 29-year-old enjoyed his best campaign in Europe last season, netting 9 times in the Premier League to become Ghana's all time leading scorer in England, and in the process swept Crystal Palace's top awards at the end of the season gong.

But the striker insists trying to carve his own path in football has come with some pressure following the achievement of his father in the sport.

"There is pressure with being an Ayew, of course," Ayew told the Daily Mail. "Whenever you go somewhere, people just say, 'It's because of his dad'. Do I ever think my career would have been easier if I wasn't an Ayew? It would certainly have been different."

"People back home expect a lot from us," he says. "Sometimes when I play for the national team, I see my family in the stadium and I see their faces — it's like they have more pressure than us.

"Sometimes my mum and aunties can't watch because they hear the comments of people around them — it's just a football game.

"I'm really proud to be part of this family. Dad has raised the bar so high."

Abedi Pele was three times African footballer of the year and won the Nations Cup in 1982.

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