Andre Ayew is preparing for his third World Cup, and he will arrive in Qatar not only as the Black Stars' leader but also as their top scorer since 2019.
The Al Sadd man was named Ghana captain on May 24, 2019, and has since provided excellent leadership while also being the senior national team's leading scorer, with nine goals, more than any other player during this period.
His appointment came a month before the start of the Africa Cup of Nations, and Ghana's all-time leading scorer, Asamoah Gyan, has been out since the tournament. Ayew, a midfielder, has stepped up in Gyan's absence and scored the majority of the Black Stars' goals.
Black Stars have scored 30 goals since Gyan's last match on July 8, 2019, with Ayew scoring eight (26.6 percent).
This demonstrates how important the 32-year-old is to the team, calling into question calls for him to be benched in Qatar during the World Cup.
As former Ghana Football Association chairman Dr Nyaho Tamakloe correctly stated, those calls are completely incorrect because Ayew has a lot to offer.
“It is totally wrong to bench the captain of the Black Stars. Totally wrong. Dede (Ayew) is a very good footballer and has done enough for the team. I think we rather have to encourage him and let him play a key part in Qatar," he told Angel FM.
Renowned Ghanaian Evangelist Dr Lawrence Tettehe absolutely agrees with Dr Nyaho Tamakloe, saying: "Andre Dede Ayew is an inspirer, he has been with the youth team even when he was much younger and they won the u-20 World Cup.
"He has been consistent with the Black Stars, today as we speak now he is the only one who has more caps than Asamoah Gyan. So, you don’t throw away people who have laboured.
"This notion that Ghanaians being jealous and envious of people's success we must stop it. Dede Ayew is a good footballer, he’s played very well and he is currently the captain. If you want to get the unity that we needed for the team, then we need someone like him.
"If we bench him for the new players that have come, you’ve demoralised the team and people will not die for the country. So, it doesn’t make sense at all."
Ayew became Ghana's second-most capped player last month when he appeared in a pre-World Cup friendly win over Nicaragua.
The Black Stars will face Portugal, South Korea, and Uruguay in a difficult group.