Since his debut in a Ghana jersey in 2007, Andre Ayew has developed into a powerful player. He currently has 113 appearances, which is more than any other player has ever managed, and in November 2022, he became the nation's most-capped player.
Ayew has not only participated in the most games, but also accomplished notable feats while donning the national jersey, such as being the Ghanaian with the most goals in the Africa Cup of Nations.
As he vows to do more before quitting, we take a look back at the high points of his Ghana career.
Ayew qualified for both France and Ghana because he held dual French and Ghanaian citizenship. He was courted by France on several occasions, but he was committed to Ghana and made his debut there in 2007 against Senegal in a friendly match. The following year, he was part of Ghana's squad that clinched bronze at the 2008 Africa Cup of Nations on home soil.
Even though he was a member of the senior national team, he took on the challenge of leading the U-20 team, also known as the Black Satellites, and he made his mark. It was under Andre Ayew's direction that the team won the U-20 Africa Cup of Nations and then made history by becoming the first African team to win the U-20 World Cup, which they did in Egypt after defeating Brazil on penalties in the championship match.
A year after having great success with the U-20 team, Ayew competed in his second major international tournament, the 2010 Africa Cup of Nations. He scored his first international goal in the 30th minute of the team's final group stage match against Burkina Faso on January 19, 2010. Ghana won 1-0 and advanced to the final, where they were defeated 1-0 by Egypt. Ayew appeared in all five of the team's matches.
Later that year, in South Africa, Andre Ayew made his World Cup debut. His cross was handled in the box, resulting in a penalty that Asamoah Gyan converted to give Ghana a 1-0 victory over Serbia. The four-time African champions reached the quarter-finals.
After playing a significant part in securing qualification, Andre Ayew was included in Ghana's World Cup squad for 2014 in Brazil. He scored his first World Cup goal in the Black Stars' opening game against the United States. Later, in the Black Stars’ 2-2 draw with Germany in their second group game, he scored the Black Stars' first goal.
In 2015, Andre Ayew helped Ghana reach their first Africa Cup of Nations final since 2010. He scored the opening goal against Equatorial Guinea in the semi-finals. Unfortunately, Ghana were defeated on penalties by Ivory Coast in the final, despite the fact that Andre Ayew converted his.
Andre Ayew was appointed as the team's official captain in 2019, which was a reward for his effort, commitment, and dedication.
In January 2022, Andre Ayew became Ghana's all-time leading scorer in the Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) after scoring his 10th goal against Gabon. In addition, he surpassed Egypt's Ahmed Hassan on the all-time AFCON appearance list, and is now only two games away from breaking the record held by Cameroonian star Rigobert Song.
Andre Ayew, as Black Stars captain, ensured Ghana's return to the World Cup in 2022 after missing out on the 2018 edition. He became the first Ghanaian to play 110 senior national team matches just before the World Cup, as a result, became Ghana's most-capped player, setting a new record.
Andre Ayew scored Africa’s first goal at the 2022 World when he equalised for Ghana in their 3-2 loss to Portugal. After Senegal, Tunisia, Morocco and Cameroon all failed to find the target in their opening games, Andre Ayew found the net to become the continent's first scorer in Qatar.