His father was the youngest in the 1982 Black Stars team that won Ghana her fourth African Cup of Nations. After 40 years—1982 to 2022, his son is the oldest and the captain of the current Black Stars group that want to break the hoodoo that has bugged the team since Libya 82.
At 17, perhaps Abedi Pele holds the record as the youngest national player to have won a major cup for the Black Stars. His son, Dede, made his debut appearance for the Black Stars at 18, a year older than when his father starred for the national team. And although he staged a spirited effort to repeat what his father did, on each occasion in 2010 and 2014, Dede and the Black Stars came up as runners-up.
Dede is gunning for perhaps the most passionate national team player who never won a major cup for the Black Stars. Dede would have loved to replicate his Under 20 heroics at the senior national team level, yet his efforts had on two occasions been characterized by “agonizingly losing the finals.”
Is it twist of fate that Dede goes into this year’s edition of the Cup of Nations as perhaps the oldest Ghanaian player and perhaps, he is all about to spice his efforts with a win at possibly, his last Nation’s Cup appearance ? His father did that at a tender age of 17. And so for those who believe in mysticisms of life, the change in age of the two, the proponents argue, portends good omen for the Black Stars. And so as Pele won as a teen, Dede will win as an adult.
The zero ended year and its golden luck in football
Before Manchester City won the English Premier League, they had struggled for close to 50 years for cup glory or honours. As the 50th year beckoned at the time the oil rich Qatari billionaires had acquired the team, they were all smiles on exactly the 50th year of the club’s cup drought. City won the premiership at expense of City rivals—Manchester United.
Before Chelsea Football Club won its first Premiership league in England, they had been bugged by a 39-year premier league drought. But on the 40th year, the club broke that myth with the celebrated Jose Mourinho. Today, Chelsea have won five premier league titles, two champions league titles and multiple domestic cups.
For 29 years, Liverpool Football Club only took consolidation in its tag-line, “You Never Walk Alone,” but operated one big misery of a club that only lived in the past, where they dominated everything football in the English championship before it was changed into English Premiership. But when the magical year that ends in zero came, Merseyside erupted in an uncontrollable ecstasy. Jurgen Klopp led Liverpool to win its first premiership title in 30 years.
Could same happen to the Black Stars after 40 years of their last triumph in Muammar Quaddafi’s Libya? For those who believe in the myth surrounding numbers, the 40th is the excellent year for the Black Stars to pick their 5th Cup of Nations triumph just like Chelsea did after, 40; the Cityzens after 50 and Liverpool, after 30 years.
The Abedi Pelesque Isshahaku effect.
40 years ago, Abedi Pele made history as the youngest player to have won the African Cup of Nations with Ghana. That’s was Ghana 4th and the last Cup of Nation’s victory triumph. Considering his age and experience at the time, none gave the young Pele even a chance to be part of the Black Stars’ contingent, let alone, to be part of the first eleven (11).
But Pele proved the sceptics wrong with a matured performance throughout any of the matches that he performed or played at the Libya tournament. Of course, a section of football fans was not surprised about the surprising break-through of the 17-year old Pele. The young lad, indeed announced his readiness in the last leg of Ghana’s qualifiers against then Zaire, in Kinshasa, the capital of that country. He was not the least overawed by the occasion which had the President of Ziare, Mobutu Seseseku in attendance.
He put up a stellar to underscore his genius status which would later unveil in his career journey that took him to Benin, France, Italy and of course Qatar. Today, another “Pele” seems to be blazing the trail of the original Ghanaian “Pele”. His name is Abdul Fatawu Isshaku.
Like Pele in 1982, Isshahaku also plays in the Ghanaian premier league with Dreams FC. Abedi Pele was then the star player of local Real Tamale United. While Pele was 17, Isshaku is now 18 years. Similarly, the two announced their budding status on the African stage before a major Cup of Nations tournament.
Abedi in Zaire, Isshaku at the African Under 20 tournament held in Mauritania where he won the Best Player of the tournament. Most Ghanaians believe Isshahaku is the player to watch in the Ghanaian team and by extension the tournament as a whole.
Transitions in the two teams.
The 1982 team was a team in transition then, just as our current Black Stars team too is in transition. Most of the players who played crucial roles in Ghana’s third Cup of Nations triumph in 1978 had then faded away, giving rise to some budding promising players.
Old guards like PSK Paha, Awuley Quaye, Isaac Acquaye, Kuuku Dadzie, Addae Kyenkyehene, Adolf Armah, John Nketia Yawson, Dan Kayode, Opoku Afriyie, Abdul Razak, Mohammed Polo and others had called time off their engagements with the Black Stars.
In their stead were younger ones like Haruna Yusif, Owusu Mensah, Kwasi Appiah, Kwame Sampson, Sampson Lamptey, Isaac Paha, Albert Asaase, Abedi Pele, John Essien, Kofi Badu, George Alhassan, Opoku Nti, Kofi Abbrey and Emmanuel Quarshie, the captain of the side.
These were the unknown lots who took inspiration from desperation to defy the odds against them to win the Cup of Nations in Libya. It does seem history is about to unfold with the current crop of players in the national team as they start their silent success-laden journey with an opening match of Group C against Maghreb giant, Morocco.
The likes of Joojo Walaacot, Andy Boakye Yiadom, Gideon Mensah, Abdul Baba Rahman, Alexander Djiku, Daniel Amartey, Baba Iddrisu, Thomas Partey, Kudus Mohammed, Abdul Nurudeen Mohammed and the Ayew brothers will also take inspiration from their underdog status and pull a surprise like the 82 team did in Tripoli.
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