Ghana legend Abedi Pele reveals his childhood idols

Ghanaian and African soccer Legend Abedi Ayew Pele has revealed that his two biggest childhood Idols while growing up are Nigeria’s “Mathematical” captain and winger-striker of the seventies and eighties Segun Patrick Odegbami and Ugandan soccer idol Phillip Omondi.

Omondi played for local side Kampala City Council FC from 1973 to 1979, when he moved to the United Arab Emirates to join Sharjah.

Omondi played for the Uganda national football team at the 1974, 1976 and 1978 African Cup of Nations, where he was the leading goal-scorer as Uganda finished second. He also helped the team to the 1973 and 1977 CECAFA Cup titles.

Odegbami was brought up in the northern city of Jos, Plateau State. He won 43 caps and scored 21 goals for the National Team, and guided Nigeria to its first Africa Cup of Nations title at the 1980 tournament in his homeland. Before that he was instrumental to Nigerias IICC Shooting Stars winning the African Cup Winners Cup, the first-ever time any Nigerian Clubside will win a continental trophy.

Abedi Pele here reveals why he adored these two soccer Icons:” Let me tell you that my idol as at that time were two people, one was a striker called Phillip Omondi fromUganda, as at then I was the Coasts best player, the Juvenal best player in the country at that time, the junior level so I had an opportunity to watch the 1978 African Cup of Nations in Ghana so I had a card which takes me and gives me access to go to the Stadium all the time.”

“The other player was Mathematical Segun Odegbami, he was great, he was my idol. Dreams come true and I was later in the Ghana Black Stars Team trying to qualify for the Libya Nations Cup, we had great players against us like Mayele, they drew in Ghana and Congo needed a draw in Congo Kinshasa, that was the game that really brought me into the limelight.”