Former Ghana midfielder Sulley Ali Muntari has revealed the profound impact Abedi Pele had on his career, explaining how simply knowing the football legend was in the stands elevated his game to another level.
For Muntari who built a reputation as one of Ghana’s most combative and fearless midfielders, the motivation did not always come from tactics or team talks. Sometimes, it came from the stands.
“When I was in the national team, when I heard that Abedi Pele was in the stands, my football changed. Not that after the game I was gonna see him, but his presence alone. If he is there, my strength doubles up,” Muntari told 3Sports.
Those words offer a glimpse into the reverence Muntari had for the three-time African Footballer of the Year.
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Abedi Pele, widely regarded as one of Ghana’s greatest-ever players, represented a standard of excellence that Muntari clearly felt compelled to rise to whenever he wore the national colours.
Muntari’s own journey began in Ghana with Liberty Professionals, where he rose through the youth ranks in the early 2000s before earning a move to Italian side Udinese in 2001.
After initially featuring for the reserves, he made his first-team debut against AC Milan on November 6, 2002, a breakthrough that launched a globetrotting career.
He went on to play for clubs including Inter Milan, AC Milan, Sunderland, Al Ittihad, Pescara, Deportivo La Coruna and Albacete.
In 2022, he returned home to play for Accra Hearts of Oak before hanging up his boots.
On the international stage, Muntari earned 84 caps for Ghana and scored 20 goals, including memorable strikes at the 2006 and 2010 FIFA World Cups.
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