Abedi Pele: How Ghana’s football icon earned the nickname after Brazil legend Pele

Abedi Ayew was born in Kibi and grew up in the town of Dome at the northern outskirts of Accra.

He grew up with 18 siblings and all he ever wanted to do was just play football. He had absolutely no idea who Pelé was because he never had access to electricity and televisions.

But even at a young age, whenever Abedi is playing football in any small corner he finds himself, he realised people older than him kept shouting ‘oh Pelé, he plays like Pele .’

Abedi picked up the nickname whilst playing colts football for Great Farcos he was called Dom Pelé in reference to the Dome village he came from.

The nickname got more popular when he attended Ghana Senior High School in Tamale and at a point, no one referred to him as Abedi Ayew. Everyone including his teachers, friends, and family started to call him ‘Abedi Pele’.

The nickname Pele followed the attacking midfielder all the way from Ghana to some of the world’s biggest football stages, including the 1993 Champions League final where he helped lead the French club Olympique Marseille to its first-ever European championship.

Pele’s legacy transcends Brazil and South America and gave Ghana and Africa a football icon.

Edson Arantes do Nascimento, better known as Pelé passed away at the age of 82.

Over the course of a 21-year career, he is credited with scoring a world-record 1,281 goals in 1,363 games, including 77 goals in 92 international games.

Pele was selected as Fifa's Player of the Century in 2000. Pele is the only player to have won the World Cup three times, taking home the trophy in 1958, 1962, and 1970.