Was Abedi Pele the first African to win the Champions League?

Former Black Stars captain André Ayew has reignited a historical debate about his father, Abedi Pelé, and his place in European football history after describing the legendary Ghanaian as the first African to win the UEFA Champions League.

Speaking on the Obi One Podcast, hosted by former Nigeria international John Obi Mikel, Ayew reflected on the challenge of living up to his father’s legacy and the remarkable achievements that made him one of Africa’s greatest footballers.

“It’s extremely difficult to come from where he came from and to be who he is today,” Ayew said.

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The former Ghana captain recalled how he felt when Abedi Pelé won the Champions League with Olympique Marseille in 1993, insisting that his father was the first African to win the competition.

While the statement requires historical context, Ayew’s claim can be defended when the competition’s rebranding is taken into account.

Why Abedi Pelé can be considered the first

Marseille won the 1992/93 edition of the competition, the inaugural season under the UEFA Champions League name.

Abedi Pelé played a key role in the campaign, providing the corner that Basile Boli headed home to secure a 1-0 victory over AC Milan in the final on May 26, 1993.

Under this interpretation, Abedi Pelé became the first African player to win the competition after it adopted the Champions League name.

The historical distinction

However, the competition existed long before that rebranding as the European Champion Clubs’ Cup, commonly known as the European Cup.

Algerian forward Rabah Madjer won the European Cup with Porto in 1987, while Zimbabwean goalkeeper Bruce Grobbelaar lifted it with Liverpool in 1984.

Both achievements predated the Champions League branding.

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Therefore, Abedi Pelé was not the first African to win the European Cup in the competition’s wider history.

But Ayew’s assertion has a basis when the discussion is limited to the tournament under its Champions League identity, introduced in the 1992/93 season.

His father’s achievement remains historic: Abedi Pelé helped Marseille win the first edition of the newly branded Champions League, becoming the first Ghanaian to lift the trophy and one of the defining African figures of its early era.

FKA/AM