Andre Ayew: 2010 World Cup saved my career

Ghana international Andre Ayew has revealed that the 2010 Fifa World Cup in South Africa had a positive impact on his career.

Ayew had a fantastic tournament and was nominated by Fifa for the young player of the tournament award which eventually went to Thomas Muller of Germany.

“The 2010 World Cup was the first one to be held in Africa (and) it was my first World Cup," he explained toSportal. “I was 20 years old and I'd been playing in the second division in France (during a loan spell at Arles).”

He added: “The whole tournament had a really big effect on me. It's something that will continue to touch my life.”

Ayew observed that the global showpiece helped a great deal in his development.

“It (2010) was an extraordinary year for me. The whole year, not just the World Cup. It pushed me forward and helped me become who I am today,” he added.

“The World Cup really pushed me forward in terms of confidence. It made me realise that I needed to have a lot of confidence in myself.

“That's where it started. I took that confidence, I didn't doubt myself anymore and continued from there.”

The 24-year-old is part of Ghana’s 26-man provisional list for the 2014 World Cup in Brazil.