Abedi Pele is the most skillful footballer I have ever seen - Prince Polley

Former Ghana International, Prince Poku Polley says former teammate and Black Stars captain is the most skillful footballer he has ever seen.

The pair played together for the senior national team for two years and the former Asante Kotoko and Ghana forward insisted he never saw any more skillful player than Abedi Pele.

“In terms of skills, Pele was par excellence. His dribbling skills were such that anytime he had the ball, he succeeded in taking on two or more opponents with ease to create chances for strikers to score.

“Beside his skills, Pele was also gifted with speed and was very fit,” the former Kotoko striker told the Graphic Sports Online in an exclusive interview.

“Even as a player in the same team, you love to watch him anytime he was with the ball. It was so lovely because he could use the ball to perform unique scenes like a magician, which was unusual in football matches,” Prince Polley, who played with Pele in the Black Stars between 1992 and 1996 recalled with nostalgia.

Recounting some of the exploits of Pele in a match against Senegal in 1994, Polley said in the course of the match, Pele picked a pass on the flanks and dribbled all his opponents to the edge of the box. He said Pele’s marker, who was hard on his heels, was eager to push the ball out of play, but in a dramatic fashion, Pele put his right leg in front of the ball, back-heeled it and lifted it over his marker to send a pass to him (Polley) in the box.

"The goalkeeper was not expecting a pass from such an acute angle, so before he was aware, the ball was in the vital area. And in an attempt to save the sticky situation, the goalkeeper injured himself by hitting his head against the goal post.

“It was a masterpiece by all standards which only star players could enact. Such magical display of skills are rare in football but Abedi succeeded in creating them. He always introduced unique skills during our days to create a sense of fear among players of the opposing team.

“This was because he was gifted with awesome skills which always electrified arenas to entertain football fans,” he added.