André Ayew: “Ghana Respects Everyone, But We Know Who We Are”
As Ghana prepares for the 2015 Africa Cup of Nations, expectations are high for the Black Stars, especially given their presence in what many call the “Group of Death” alongside Senegal, Algeria, and South Africa.
André Ayew, a senior figure in the team and veteran of several AFCON tournaments, acknowledged the quality of Ghana’s opponents—particularly Senegal:
“Senegal is a very good team that has rediscovered a lot of self-sacrifice and a lot of desire. They won almost all their matches during the qualifiers, which hadn’t happened for a long time. I think there’s a revival for Senegal. They’re coming in looking for revenge.”
Still, Ayew emphasized the difference between qualifiers and the tournament proper, pointing out that even highly-rated teams like Algeria will face a new level of intensity once the competition kicks off.
On Ghana’s ambitions, Ayew did not hide the team’s intentions:
“We respect everyone, but we know we’re Ghana, one of the best nations in Africa. What matters most is giving our all and improving in every match.”
The Marseille winger, who helped Ghana reach the AFCON 2010 final, also sees experience as a potential edge:
“All our players are quite young, but they’ve all already played three or four AFCONs. So I think we still have a slight advantage in terms of experience.”
With players like Ayew providing leadership, Ghana enters the tournament with both confidence and caution, aiming to finally end their long wait for continental glory.
