Jordan Ayew is the player managers love and fans hate

Jordan Ayew trudged off the pitch, goalless once again, and then his misery was compounded. A 92nd-minute substitution was greeted by boos ringing out around Kumasi’s Baba Yara Stadium.

The Ghana fans on the terraces had made their feelings known, but just so there could be no element of doubt, they gave Ayew another blast as he made his way to the team bus outside the ground. 

This was in March, and the first leg of a World Cup Qualifying play-off against Nigeria — Ghana’s most hated rivals. The Black Stars had not even lost the game, which finished 0-0, but Ayew’s toothless performance had proved too much for many.

Otto Addo, the head coach, did his best to take responsibility himself. The boos, he said, were for him as the man in charge of selection, not his player, but those pleas went unheeded. Not even Ayew’s status as the son of Abedi Pele, considered by some as the greatest Ghanaian player of all time, was going to spare him, even if Ghana went on to edge out Nigeria on away goals in the second leg. Again, Ayew did not score.

Ayew, it seems, is a difficult player for fans to love. His situation with Ghana as he prepares for the World Cup opener against Portugal is in many ways a mirror image of his predicament at his club team, Crystal Palace, where he also divides opinion. 

When solely judged on numbers — the raw currency of goals and assists that attackers trade in — Ayew’s reputation is, indeed, hard to defend. For his club, he has 15 goals from 149 appearances, for Ghana it is 19 from 84 caps. Those are not particularly impressive returns, especially for someone who made his debut for the national team in 2010.

But that is not to say that Ayew is without merit. The 31-year-old is a dedicated, hard-working wide forward, who does not complain about being asked to track back. For Palace, he offers solidity so other, more creatively gifted players can thrive; for his country, he, alongside his brother, Andre, provides precious experience to the youngest squad in Qatar. 

Ayew remains an enigma for both Palace and Ghana fans. Managers appreciate his endeavour and determination, but some supporters are less forgiving, particularly with younger talent waiting to succeed him. Nevertheless, even irrespective of his form at Palace, he has remained a regular starter and a key player for the national team.

“With Jordan, as much as they want to play him as a winger, he’s giving more workrate than output, which people look for in attackers,” Joel Bortey, a journalist at Joy Sports covering Ghana, tells The Athletic. “Ghana has struggled for goals and they had a disastrous Africa Cup of Nations (in January). A lot of people weren’t happy with Ayew. They don’t see why a striker is unable to score.

“He actually played on the right in Addo’s first game. He was the most accurate passer and his workrate was perfect but people were calling for goals.”

Ayew has since featured all across the front three, but one thing has remained consistent: his lack of goals. It is now over a year since he last scored in an international game. In a Ghana side which often attacks in a narrow formation, Ayew has regularly found himself on the left-wing, tasked with the inside forward role but some feel that may be better filled by the Rennes player Kamaldeen Sulemana, who has 12 caps, or the 22-year-old Bristol City winger Antoine Semenyo.

Yet while fans struggle to appreciate his talents, managers evidently find much to admire. Ayew’s lack of end product has not diminished his standing for Addo, who continues to include him as one of his regular starters. Likewise, at Palace, while many fans would prefer his place to be taken by the 20-year-old Michael Olise, Patrick Vieira sticks by him, citing his hard work and defensive contribution.

At club level he has occasionally featured as a No 8, with Vieira effusive in his praise, saying he was “fantastic” and an “intelligent player who is prepared to sacrifice himself for the team”.

“Jordan is a type of player who is happy to be on the field regardless of his position, he always gives 100 per cent of the team and he is a team player,” Vieira added.

Ayew seems certain to start against Portugal on Thursday, and he will be under significant scrutiny. For all the plaudits he deserves for his work-rate, ability to win fouls and retain and regain possession, only a goal will silence his critics — and even then, it may only be temporary.

In the not too distant future there may come a time that a changing of the guard takes place for club and country, but for now at least Ayew is very much in the plans of both his managers. The World Cup will offer a stage for appreciation and an acknowledgment of his ability, but without goals, do not expect his critics to be silent for long. 

Read more: Portugal held on to beat Ghana 3-2 in their opening World Cup match. 

Read more: Cristiano Ronaldo became the first man to score in five World Cups with a penalty against Ghana

(Top photo: Catherine Steenkeste/Getty Images)