A new FIFA World Cup record is within the reach of Ghana captain Andre Ayew as the Al Sadd star looks set to feature for the Black Stars at the 2022 Mundial in Qatar.
The 32-year-old would have the opportunity to become Ghana’s highest appearance maker at the FIFA World Cup if he is selected by head coach Otto Addo to represent the West Africans in the peninsular Arab country.
Ayew, son of African football great – Abedi Ayew Pele, will be making his third appearance at the coveted competition which is played once every four years.
He would join former skipper Asamoah Gyan and midfielder Sulley Muntari as the only players who have played in three separate FIFA World Cup tournaments for Ghana.
Though Muntari was selected for the 2006, 2010, and 2014 tournaments, he missed two games out of the available 12 games the four-time AFCON winners played at the competition.
Though the former West Ham United and Olympique Marseille star-man is 2 World Cup games shy of Muntari’s 9 at the competition, he has played more minutes than him.
Muntari, who played in almost all of Ghana’s games at the 2006 edition in Germany, has strangely played 584 in 9 games, averaging 65 minutes per game.
In 7 games for Ghana at the tournament, the Al Sadd talisman has 651 minutes – an average of 93 minutes per game.
With this impressive record, the workaholic and inspirational leader will now go straight for Asamoah Gyan’s record at the competition.
Gyan, who turns 37 at the start of the 22nd edition of the tournament, is Ghana’s highest appearance maker at the competition with 11 games.
He has played 1,027 minutes in the competition – averaging 93 minutes which is the same as Andre Ayew and is 4 games away from equalling his stats.
Ayew must feature in all 3 of Ghana’s group games in Qatar and hope that the Black Stars progress beyond the group stages to stand a chance of equalling the record.
Ghana has been drawn into the same group as Portugal, Uruguay, and South Korea.
Ghana has played 12 games at the tournament thus far.
Andre Ayew at the FIFA World Cup
4 Games out of 5
Minutes – 90, 90, 90, & 90
3 Games out of 3
Minutes – 90, 90, & 81
Asamoah Gyan at the FIFA World Cup
3 Games out of 4
Minutes – 89, 85, & 81
5 Games out of 5
Minutes – 120, 120, 82, 90, & 90
3 Games out of 3
Minutes – 90, 90, & 90