Abedi Pele was born on November 5, 1964 in a small village called Dome, Ghana. He was born into a poor family; therefore he had to often help his mother sell coal. He was recruited while playing for his school team and he was introduced to "colts" football (soccer) in the city.
Abedi Pele was one of the pioneers of African football in Europe. Abedi Pele was one of the first great African players to make an impact on European club football. He played for teams in Switzerland, Germany, Italy and most famously France where he was very instrumental in Marseille's prominence in the European Champions League during the early 1990s. Amongst his international accolades, he was often included in FIFA "All-Star" selections and captained the African All-Stars in their victory over their European counterparts in the Meridian Cup of 1997.
He left Ghana after the 1982 African Cup of Nations to join Al Sadd in Qatar for a transfer fee of $1,000. After a short spell with FFC Zürich in Switzerland he returned to Ghana but, after both Kotoko and Hearts of Oak failed to sign him, joined AS Dragons FC de l'Ouémé of Benin. He would later return to Ghana and play for Real Tamale United for a season. He started his career in Europe with French association football club Chamois Niort, subsequently joining Montpellier and Lille before transferring to Olympique Marseille. He later joined Lyon. He also played for Torino of Italy, where he was named Best Foreign Player in Serie A and finally rounded out his European career with 1860 München.
Abedi Pele went on to sign a two-year contract with Al Ain Club in the United Arab Emirates and was nominated one of the best foreign players to play in the UAE league.
He was the captain of Ghana's national football team for six years (1992–1998) and was one of the first African football players to earn a top placing in FIFA World Player of the Year voting in 1991 and 1992. He is arguably Africa's most decorated and honoured football player ever, winning the France Football Magazine African Player of the Year Award three times, was the inaugural winner of the BBC African Sports Star of the Year in 1992, and the corresponding Confederation of African Football award twice. He was also awarded the golden ball award for being the best player at the 1992 African Cup of Nations, and was the "man of the match" in Marseille's historic European Champions League final win over Milan in 1993.
Abedi Pele played for Ghana 73 times and is considered the greatest football player in his country's history, country's history, and among the best in Africa. Until 7 June 2013 when he was surpassed by Asamoah Gyan, he was the top goal scorer for Ghana's Black Stars with 33 goals. He was a fixture in the African Championships of the 1980s and 90s with his national team, and a member of Ghana's victorious team in the 1982 African Cup of Nations, but he never had an opportunity to play in the FIFA World Cup, as the Black Stars failed to qualify for the competition during his career. However, he was arguably the most dominant figure on the African football scene for nearly a decade. His performance in the 1992 African Cup of Nations is often cited as one of the most outstanding football displays by any player in a single tournament. His native Ghana reached the finals of the Cup that year, only to lose on penalties in the final to Côte d'Ivoire after Abedi was suspended because of a Yellow card he received in the semi-final match against Nigeria. Prior to that, his three spectacular goals against Zambia, Congo and Nigeria proved crucial in putting Ghana through to their seventh appearance in a CAN final – and their first final in ten years. The performance earned him the added nickname of "The African Maradona". His solo run goal against Congo in the quarterfinals is often compared to Maradona's second goal against England in the 1986 World Cup. His backheader goal against Nigeria from the edge of the opponent's penalty box also heralded international acclaim.
At the club level, he was a key figure in Olympique de Marseille's dominance of the French league – resulting in four league championships and two European Champions League finals appearances. An attacking midfielder, Abedi became as famous for his sublime dribbling skills as he did for his knack for scoring spectacular and often very important goals. Many such goals became regular "Goals of the Week" on ITN's weekly "European Football" program. At Marseille, he was a member of the team's "Magical Trio", along with Jean-Pierre Papin and Chris Waddle – spearheading perhaps Europe's strongest league side of the early 1990s. Abedi was the only remaining member of the trio still with the side when Marseille defeated Milan in the 1993 UEFA Champions League Final in Munich.
Abédi holds the record for most appearances at the Nations Cup Finals, beating even the legendary Roger Milla of Cameroon to the record.
Because of his exploits in France, he is adored by many of the people from francophone countries in Africa. In appreciation for his services, the Ghanaian government awarded Pele the country's highest honor, the Order of the Volta. He was later nominated by the president to become the next Chairman of the FA, but he turned it down and handed it to someone he felt was more experienced.
Won Africa Cup of Nations with the Black star's.
Although he is a Muslim, he never talks about his religion publicly.
He is not involved in politics. However, he serves as an ambassador for the continent of Africa. He currently serves on the Fifa Football Committee. Pele has the singular honour of participating in more FIFA organized charity matches than any African player. He is currently on the player status committees of both FIFA and CAF.
Quotations:
"A penalty is a cowardly way to score."
"I've come to accept that the life of a frontrunner is a hard one, that he will suffer more injuries than most men and that many of these injuries will not be accidental."
"Enthusiasm is everything. It must be taut and vibrating like a guitar string."
Physical Characteristics: He has a height of 1.77 m (5 ft 9 1⁄2 in)
He is married, and has children
